Synergize
by EarlyMorningWriter
Summary: The crew of the Nathan James is hard at work spreading the cure but of course, everything doesn't go according to plan. There are new opponents, challenges from within, and plenty of individual struggles. Ultimately, they each must decide what they stand for in the post-apocalypse society.
1. Chapter 1

With NaNoWriMo and the holidays behind us, it is finally time to get back to business. This is part 4 of my Seven Habits series. Chronologically this series is set between seasons 2 and 3 of the show. Check out Part 1 - Be Proactive, Part 2 - Put First Things First, and Part 3 - Begin With The End in Mind if you want to start the series from the beginning and Hard Habit to Break if you want to go back to the very beginning before Season 1.

**Make It Rain, Michael Burks **

Tom's pulse jumped when Kara startled him out of a bit of absent minded worrying about his kids. Yesterday he'd been sure that he wanted Jed to bring them to St. Louis. Then last night there had been three different reports of looting and one outright river battle between the sheriff and a group of river pirates trying to hijack a barge of grain. Now he wasn't so sure what would be safest for them. "Mike's on the sat phone Sir. He wants to give you an update. It's as secure as we can manage."

He was eager to know how things were going. They had confirmed arrival at Great Lakes but it had been two days since he'd had an update. "Alright, grab a pen and transfer it here."

He punched the flashing button on his phone and the speaker crackled to life. "Mike! Glad to hear from you. I've got Foster-Green here in my office too. How are things in Chicago" She shut the inner door and quickly joined him at the table.

Mike's familiar voice boomed. "Well, I've had a bit of a shock actually."

Tom chuckled nervously. "What? Like the Cubs won the World Series by forfeit?"

"No Tom." He didn't even respond to the joke. This must be serious. "I found my family." He didn't sound as happy as Tom would have anticipated.

"That is excellent news Commander." Kara's face split in a wide smile.

But Tom had heard something in Mike's voice that gave him pause. He wasn't quite as overjoyed as he would have expected.

"All of them are OK?" He asked.

Mike chuckled. "Ha, well yes, all of them and then some. It seems my family has grown, and is about to grow some more."

Tom could see that Kara was mentally counting the months backwards, a troubled furrow between her brows. "I think you're going to have to explain that further." Tom listened in amazement as Mike detailed the situation. He wasn't surprised that Christine had moved on, but he had a hard time picturing Riley married and ready to give birth. But, he was relieved to hear that they had found other service members ready and able to work.

"…So I sent Simpson to Detroit under Green's leadership. Velasquez is going to come back with me and then take his team on to Fort Leonard Wood to set up training." Mike's voice was firm and Tom could tell that the subject was not really up for discussion.

He was relieved when Kara also read between the lines and turned the conversation back to business. It was true that she was technically excellent and that was why she'd risen so fast as a SWO. But it was her ability to read people and situations that was her true strength and the reason he'd asked her to transition to her new role. He hadn't told her yet, but he secretly hoped she'd choose to continue in this new career track after her maternity leave. Like Mike, he trusted her absolutely, and it would be good to create allies in the political sphere over time. "Did Velasquez know anything about survivors in the intelligence community? We really need some ins on that front. I hate the idea of sending our people overseas without good info on conditions." Tom noticed that she didn't mention their data leak. She'd never explicitly listed Mike on her list of possible actors. If she had, he would have protested vociferously. But he had to admit that before everything with the Red Flu had happened, Mike had all the markers of someone who could carry out espionage activity and keep it secret; personal upheaval partially motivated by his job, financial pressure, access, and technical ability.

"I'll work on that with Velasquez, see what I can get out of him. He may know more than he realizes. Remember when we found my family's belongings in Deer Park? He was there when Granderson started rounding up people, read the situation, and defied orders to move them all to rural West Virginia. I think you'll like him Tom."

"Good. We need partners and we need bodies. And we especially need some people who worked stateside before. Keep up the good work Mike."

Tom imagined Mike nodding his agreement, lips pressed together firmly. "Yeah, well as far as intel goes, I'd like to say that taking Mittens to Canada is no problem. Until the flu struck, the threat level there was certainly low. But then again, we thought that about CONUS and look what happened here. I wouldn't have sent Green on if I didn't have confidence in him and his ability to handle the unknowns. And he was the one that requested Simpson's team on this. Given the meeting location, Green felt they could be a good asset."

"No need to defend your decision to me, Mike. I agree with your assessment of Green's abilities and he's got great people to rely on too." He sighed. But what of Michener? This was a big test of how well he could fill the role he'd been thrust into.

He shouldn't have been surprised that Kara beat him too it, given his earlier musings of her perceptiveness. But she didn't even know the whole story of Michener's history. "How is Michener holding up? Is he winning the battle for hearts and minds?"

There was a pause and Tom wondered if Mike was trying to formulate an answer that didn't include Michener's mental well being. "You know, he's surprised me by turning out to be a dynamic speaker. He's made some good connections in the communities we've been to. I think people sense his willingness to listen and believe he can really do something for them. Of course, time will tell if he can actually get enough structure back together to accomplish all the things he's promising. He told me he views this trip like his first campaign tour."

Tom's jaw dropped. Nothing Jeffery had done had indicated that he would actually run for president given the chance. He noticed that Kara looked skeptical as well. "Do you think that's a real possibility?" She asked.

"Honestly? Aside from the fact that I don't agree with the guy's politics, I don't think he can hack it. He wants to promise the moon but he can't even collect taxes yet. So he can promise all he wants but it doesn't matter until he actually has a government in place."

"So far no one has come forward to challenge him." Tom added.

"Yeah, but they will. Eventually someone's going to challenge him and we'll have to decide where we stand. I guess you know where I stand then."

They wrapped up and Kara took herself back to her office to prepare for a meeting of her own. Tom spun his chair toward the outer wall and leaned his elbows heavily on the windowsill. He needed to strategize for the arrival of Major Velasquez. Fort Leonard Wood was a great location to revive for recruiting and training, but the inclusion of Army personnel raised a slew of complications that he ought to plan for if he wanted to get off on the right foot.


	2. Chapter 2

I can't stop writing Kat and Ray pairings. If you haven't read my earlier stuff, I've aged Kat up to 17 so that it's not too creepy.

**Since I Met You, B.B. King and Katie Webster**

Ray held the door of the public library, counting kids as they trudged past, messing with mittens and zippers as they exited the building into the cool late afternoon air. "Yay! How long 'til dinner?" Willy, an outgoing 12 year old shouted as he and his mate Krishawn emerged from the magazine racks, each with a stack of old issues to take with them.

Ray surreptitiously scanned the titles. "Nice try guys. The swimsuit issue stays at the library. He removed it from the stack. "But otherwise you're good to go." He tucked it under his arm and waved them toward the rest of the kids sprawled all over the benches along the walkway outside. "Two hours until Bacon lets us in to eat. We're all going to take these books back to our rooms and have some quiet time until dinner."

The two bookworms grinned happily. They had been overjoyed when he'd announced the special treat. It had been dark and rainy all week and by now they were all getting sick of each other's company. A few days ago he'd begged Master Chief to let him out of the evening military science study group he'd arranged for new recruits in order to attend the Mayor's first city council meeting. He'd been hoping to learn something about schools or social services or anything that could help the kids. The meeting had run into the wee hours of the morning but now he thought it was well worth the lost sleep, considering he'd met a librarian in the lobby and then helped her successfully petition the Mayor to open the library for limited hours. They'd been the only ones here today, but the librarian promised that she'd advertise in the market and hopefully there would be more people next week.

Ray frowned as he realized that he hadn't seen hide or hair of the two 13 year olds in the group, Gabe and Natalie, for at least a half hour. He had a sneaking suspicion what the hold up was, and it wasn't that they were both bookworms. Damn it. He'd already caught them making out in the hotel laundry room last week. He'd given them a repeat of the speech an older counselor had once given him about there being a time and place for everything before sending them to their rooms. But he was pretty sure it had fallen on deaf ears. He sighed in relief when they emerged, albeit giggling and holding hands, from the travel section.

He tried to sound like Chandler had when he'd told Ray about Cody, disapproving but not angry. It certainly had gotten him to think a few things through. "I didn't know the travel section was so entertaining."

"What can I say, I like exploring my possibilities old man." Gabe winked at Ray as he led Natalie out the door. "You should try it." He nodded over his shoulder toward the stairs leading to the children's room where Kat was with the three youngest.

From the other side of the door, Ray heard Colin laughing. "Yeah, I'd love to see that. In fact, I'd even volunteer to babysit the littles to see that."

Ray felt his temper rising. "Fuck off Colin. You know we need her help or we'll never be able to join up when we turn 18." Yeah, He was smart enough to know that Kat Nolan was already half in love with little Luna and Sadie. So far she was the first person to take interest in the kids that wasn't going to eventually leave with the Nathan James and didn't already have kids or a life of their own. So yeah, he might be looking, but he wouldn't be touching her with a 10 foot pole, no matter how much he might wish otherwise. He gripped the door tighter. "Come on Kat, hurry up before those two end up being the punchline of an after school special." He muttered. He didn't know what it was about St. Louis, but ever since they'd arrived three weeks ago, the kids had been getting more comfortable testing their limits.

Not for the first time, Ray wondered how much effort he should put into keeping the group together. Maybe it would be best to focus on the littlest kids and let the rest find their way. The twins had been talking about trying to contact an aunt they'd had in New York. They were convinced they must be immune since both of them had survived. Derek kept insisting that he could take care of himself, although he'd never actually tried to go it alone. Even Brie, who had come from a large family, sometimes complained that it would be easier to manage themselves if they broke into smaller groups. But every time he thought about breaking up the group, his heart ached a little, like the way it did when he thought of Cody. They had stuck by each other through the darkest moments. There had been other kids at the camp, after the parents stopped coming and the other counselors fled. Ray hadn't even been the oldest for the first few months. But everyone that left had put a little crack in his calm and controlled facade. And as far as they all sknew, every one that had left had died.

He looked up as a clatter sounded from the staircase winding up toward the children's room on the second floor. Chubby 10 year old Ethan was standing on the landing, sheepishly blushing as half the stack of books he'd picked out tumbled down the rest of the steps. Beside him, 8 year old Sadie giggled. "Kat told you not to take so many. Now you see why."

At the top of the stairs, Kat stood with little Luna. She had a handful of picture books pressed against her chest with one arm and the other was extended out to hold Luna's hand. "Do you need some help carrying those after all?" She called down to Ethan.

"No!" Ethan spit back, his freckled cheeks staining an angry red beneath his messy mop of blond curls.

Kat didn't even blink, she just began slowly descending the stairs, one eye on Luna and the other on Ethan. "I am sorry that you are angry with me Ethan, but we can look at the atlas next time we're here at the library. It is just too big to bring home."

Ethan spun around to face her as she reached the landing. He put his chubby fists on his hips and Ray could see that he was close to tears. "Hah! That's what my mother said about the fish I wanted for my aquarium before I went to camp. Wait Ethan, you can get it next time." He mimicked in an awkward high pitch. "And just look what happened! I'll never see my fish again!" He stomped his foot, threw down the books he'd just picked up, and began running down the stairs. "Grownups are all liars! I'm done listening to you!" Ray reached for him as he ran past but Ethan just slammed into the push bar on the door and kept going, his chubby legs carrying him past the surprised teens sitting outside and down the alley along the side of the building.

Bewildered, since Ethan was usually the most happy-go-lucky of the younger kids, a trait Ray had chalked up to the fact he could always be brought out of a bad mood by the promise of a snack, Ray followed him out the door. Colin grabbed his arm before Ray made it five feet. "I'll go walk with him and make sure he gets back safely."

One heavy weight on Ray's shoulders exchanged itself for another. "I ought to go. It's me he's mad at." He sighed.

But Colin held his arm firmly. "Nah, he's pissed at the world and taking it out on you because you're the one he depends on. Trust me, we've all felt that one once or twice over the last few months."

Ray's bewilderment increased. "Pissed at me?"

Colin grinned. "Of course at you. If you want to play Dad, you're going to have to be the bad guy sometimes, aren't you?" Colin strode off, leaving Ray feeling drained and hollow. Was that what they thought he was trying to do, play Dad?

The door pushed open behind him and Kat hustled Sadie and Luna out. The stack of books in her hands had doubled and he had no doubt she'd picked up all of the ones Ethan had thrown down in frustration. He reached out and gathered them from her arms so she could fuss over the girls' winter coats. He watched her efficient movements. She'd only been helping out for a few weeks but the kids adored her already. Two days ago, 14 year old Rena had been looking over his shoulder as he sketched the group and remarked that he forgot to include Kat. When he'd tried to explain that Kat had her own family with her father Rena had scoffed and tossed her long dark curls over her shoulder. "Ray, her Pops be gone with the President. She needs us to keep her from bein' lonely." He didn't have the heart to reply that Kat was just a babysitter.

He waved to the rest of the group and they began the trek back to the hotel. He couldn't help but peer around the building searching for a sign of Colin and Ethan. The long alley featured a late model Nissan, a dumpster, and bags of trash, but the two boys were gone. Brie stopped at the first corner, heels bouncing on the curb as she waited for him to catch up. "They'll be fine. Let Colin man up for once. He's been a dick lately anyway."

"As far as I can tell, that's his M.O." Kat chimed in from behind them.

Brie laughed and linked arms with Kat. "Colin's alright. He's just pissy right now because Ray set up the PlayStation in the room he shares with Jamal, Derek, and Gabe."

Kat turned her green eyes on Ray, a half smile on her luscious pink lips. "How could you be so evil?"

Ray felt the tips of his ears turn red. "It's not like I want to be a jerk! But one of us has to stay with the little guys and they can't be up playing games all night or they are rotten in the morning! I'd switch with him, but I spend half the night getting shit done." If you asked him, it was kind of shitty of Colin to be such a baby over video games. Ray might have taken a spot in the room with the game player, but between the laundry and studying with Master Chief and filling out forms to make sure they all got fed, he didn't have much spare time.

Brie shrugged. "You could always move it to my room. Sadie and Luna have that Pretty Pony game they love to play, right girls?" They'd had this discussion several times since leaving the camp and they always came back to the same issue, someone had to be the gatekeeper and every time the kids ended up saying Ray should be the one.

Sadie and Luna laughed. "Yeah Ray. Just because we're girls doesn't mean we don't like games."

Ray ruffled Sadie's hair. "I know, I know. Didn't I play Rainbow Pony with you last night?" He didn't really enjoy the game, but over the last few months he had quickly learned tht a little time spent doing activities the kids liked went a long way toward keeping their spirits up, as well as his own.

Kat laughed and the sound went straight to Ray's gut. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why he was so aware of her. Sure she was hot, but she was so annoying. Besides, he didn't have time for girls. And sharing a room with 4 guys, he didn't even have much time to review his spank bank either. "Don't you have to make your own pony for that game?" Her eyes sparkled.

Sadie's eyes grew round. "Oh yeah. Ray's pony is yellow with sunshines on it and curly glitter hair! He put purple polish on her hooves and a matching crown! He made her soooo pretty!" The little girl twirled to emphasize her joy. Luna nodded vigorously.

Kat laughed. "I would love to see that!"

He didn't know what possesed him today because when Brie invited Kat over to hang out that evening, he was almost sad that he'd miss it. "You should come over and hang with us girls tonight, Kat. Plus, we could use a hand since Ray is going out for the second night in a week." She wrinkled her nose. "Cranky pants over there says he needs adult time. As if!"

"That sounds like fun. What do you think Luna? Will I be good at Rainbow Pony too?"

Luna twirled one blond curl with her free hand. "You'll be the best. You should make a cloud pony and then it can be the sunshine pony's buddy!"

Kat winked one of her bright eyes at Ray over the girl's head. "Well, I have nothing to do in the evenings now that my dad is away. It's a date then."

Ray scowled. Great. Now she'd be in his space. Well, not his space exactly, but the space the kids occupied and that he was in every day. He stretched his stride to catch up to the boys. He should be checking with them and making sure they'd picked up at least one educational book like he'd told them to. He should have done it at the library but he'd been so tired that he'd fallen asleep the second he sat down on one of the bean bags in the children's section. When he woke in a panic he'd found Kat quietly reading to the girls from an oversized picture book. He wasn't surprised he'd accidentally napped given he'd gotten up at 0600 to start some wash before PT and then after that it had been one thing after another and another. He was pretty sure he'd sat down for 5 minutes at lunch, but then Ethan had spilled his milk and he'd had to take him upstairs to change.

The big topic of conversation with the boys these days was how many professional athletes, and which ones, may have survived the flu. Given that none of the others had any interest in soccer, it didn't hold his interest for long. Instead, his mind kept returning to Kat's clear green eyes. Damn, he'd liked it when they shared that look over Luna's head. It made him feel lucky or something to think that she had the time of day for him. A look? Seriously, what was wrong with him? He needed to find a girlfriend, or least a friendly girl, and have a little fun for a few days. Then maybe he could focus on the important tasks at hand.


	3. Chapter 3

**Siesta at the Fiesta, Jimmie Lunceford**

Kat smoothed her faded green tee down and held her palm over her stomach trying to calm the collywobbles. She reminded herself, for what felt like the fifth time that night, that it was silly to feel nervous about babysitting. She'd been hanging with the kids during the day all week. Plus she had babysat for neighborhood kids tons of time before the flu hit. But, a little voice in her head nagged at her, this was different. This time it wasn't some spoiled kids of overworked parents. No one would be handing her a fifty at the end of the evening and joking not to forget to save some for college. Nope, no one was paying her. But, if she was lucky, she'd leave before Ray returned from whatever he was doing, so she wouldn't have to endure his odious presence one more second than was necessary. But he wasn't so bad this afternoon,[] the traitorous voice reminded her. You liked the look of that tee shirt he was wearing, just a little too small, stretched a little thin over his chest.

Ugh, she shouldn't be noticing that kind of thing. A few days ago she'd reported to Commander Green that none of the orphans had any signs of being connected to the mysterious messages. Kara had just sighed. "I knew it was a long shot, but thanks for helping me anyways." When Kat had volunteered for another job, she had laughed. "You can help me for half days but you are too young to be spending all your time in a musty office. Go hang out with the kids. Just keep your eyes and ears open for clues about their families. You can consider it your job to help them remember anything that might assist us in finding some relatives who will take each in." Now that she'd spent almost every afternoon for a week with the kids, she doubted they'd take being split apart very easily. They were as loyal to Ray and each other as she'd ever seen.

She had barely knocked on the door when Brie opened it and ushered her from the quiet hallway into complete chaos, talking a mile a minute as the younger girl tended to do. "I'm so glad you're here! And I'm so sorry about the mess. Boys!" She gestured to the crowded hotel room. Kat took a few steps into the main part of the room. So far Kat had only been in the younger girls' room, a few doors down the hall. It was hard to believe that this room was the same underneath. There was a row of duffel bags and suitcases along one wall, at least that's what she assumed was under the mounds of dirty clothes and shoes and toiletries. The TV was blaring, the desk was littered with plates and cups and silverware that looked like some kind of science experiment. Her lips curled in distaste as she took in the bathroom vanity on her left. It was cluttered with toothbrushes, paper cups, combs, tubes of hair products, and a sticky looking bar of soap. An electric razor was plugged into the wall and a soggy washcloth was hanging over the edge of the counter, dripping onto the floor. A glimpse through the connecting door on her right showed the same total disarray in the younger boys' room. The shelves of the open closet behind her were stuffed with clothes and towels were haphazardly hung on the bar to dry. The only neat and orderly area was a small pile in the cubby beneath the nightstand which Kat recognized as Ray's PT gear, precisely folded on top of his sneakers.

She shuddered at the thought of sitting on the dirty floor when she spied a Twinkie wrapper peaking out from under the bed. "Well, at the risk of sounding like Mary Poppins, I simply cannot play games in this mess. First we clean, then we play." The girls stared at her, open mouthed. The boys rolled their eyes. "I'm not kidding. If you want me to spend more than five minutes in here, you'll get this place spic and span." She pointed toward the connecting door. "Whoever lives over there, go over there and get to work." None of the kids moved. Instead, she was swallowed up in a roar of protests.

"Aw come on Kat, can't we do it tomorrow."

"I'm just messy, that's the way we like it."

"Who cares if it's messy."

"You can't make me." The last came from Derek, who towered over her at nearly six feet tall. But despite his stature, he was only 15 and she knew he was terrified of her father. She also knew that the younger boys would generally do whatever Derek did.

She stepped closer to Derek. She had to tilt her head to keep eye contact but she knew she threw him off a little by getting in his personal space. "I'm not going to make you Derek." She spoke softly, but directly to him. "But I am sure the girls will agree to take the PlayStation to their room since this place isn't fit for guests." Out of the corner of her eye Kat caught Sadie sticking her tongue out at the older boy.

His gaze darted toward the connecting door and back again. After a minute his shoulders relaxed. "Fine." He stepped back a bit. "I suppose it's been a few days since we cleaned up."

"Come on." She clapped her hands twice for emphasis. "Many hands make for light work. Let's have a race. The first room done gets to pick the first game."

Half an hour later, the rooms were greatly improved. There was a mountain of laundry by each door, but otherwise the floors were clear and each kid now had their stuff tucked in a drawer. Bags and shoes were neatly stored under the beds, and toiletries were lined up on clean bathroom counters. The older girls had finished first, followed by the younger boys and they were getting ready to play a round robin game of Mario Cart. Kat rearranged the pillows on one of the double beds and took a seat to watch the races. It was a relief to put her feet up after a long day. She made a note to look for some new sneakers since she'd pretty much worn this same pair ever since she left Cort's farm and she was pretty sure they were completely spent.

"I'm surprised that Ray puts up with such a mess." Kat commented offhandedly to Brie. "He seems to have the kids towing the line about almost everything else."

"Oh, he hates the mess." Brie admitted. "Grumbles about it all the time. The guys promise to clean up but they never do. And Ray is so tired by the time he makes it back here at night, that he doesn't have time to clean up after them." Kat smiled. As much as Ray constantly pissed her off, she liked the idea that she'd made life easier for someone who needed a break. To be honest, she didn't understand why the kids hadn't been split up, one or two at a time to different families. It seemed crazy to let a 17 year old act as the parent for such a large group.

She and Brie each took a turn at Mario Cart and then they settled back onto the pillows. After a while Kat noticed that the bed was pretty hard, especially compared to her own just a few floors down. She was fluffing the pillows when her hand hit something solid. She reached under the coverlet and pulled out a small spiral bound journal. Thinking it was something that one of the kids should put away, she held it up over her head. "Who wants to claim this and put it with their personal stuff?"

Mariah, one of the 13 year old girls attempted sarcasm. "Oh sure, I'll take care of it. I haven't had enough work for a Saturday!" She collapsed on the foot of the bed in mock exhaustion. Her twin, Hannah, fell over her giggling, pretending she couldn't possibly lift her arm that far. The rest of the kids laughed at their antics.

When no one admitted ownership Kat flipped open the cover to see if there was a name. Instead she found a detailed pen and ink portrait of Luna sitting on some steps overlooking the river. Kat recognized it as the park in East St. Louis that over looked the arch. In the drawing, the little girl's clothes were dirty and her limbs drooped like she didn't have the energy to go on. But her chin was firm and there was a gleam of hope in her eyes as she gazed across the river. Her heart squeezed and she looked over at the girl, now sprawled on the end of the other bed in freshly washed Rainbow Pony jammies and laughing uproariously at something Willy was doing with his turtle car on the screen. Kat found herself laughing out load when she turned the page and found a cartoon caricature of Master Chief Jeter as a hawk. The caption read "Masterous Chieftious, there is no where you can hide that he can't see you." There were a few more drawings of the various kids in the group or Navy men and women they had been working with. She almost teared up at one of Jamal braiding Renata's hair, a hair tie in his mouth. There was another cartoon of Commander and Lieutenant Green, each wearing capes and staring off into the distance like old fashioned super heroes.

And then she flipped the page and found one of herself and her father. Despite the giant muscles and unrealistically large gun that the cartoon version of Tex was toting, she recognized him immediately. And if she had any doubt that the curvy pinup standing back-to-back with her father was supposed to be her, the large block letters beneath proclaiming "The Kick Ass Nolan Family" dispelled her doubt. Even though it was a cartoon, she recognized the canvas jacket and tee-shirt she was wearing that very moment. She fought the urge to tug the hem of her shirt down as a hot blush stained her cheeks. Her actual tee wasn't so small that it was stretched tight over her breasts or too short to cover her midsection. And she wouldn't be caught dead in jeans cut off so short that flowered panties peaked out underneath. Still the freckled face and wavy hair were all hers.

Embarrassed, she quickly flipped through the rest of the book. There were other portraits and cartoons, but no more that included her. A few pages toward the end appeared to be the start of a comic about a giant superhero that could disguise himself as a ship. The enemy appeared to be able to transform into a submarine. There was no text to go with the story panels. She was pretty sure it was Ray, Gabe, Jamal, and Derek living in this room and she couldn't recall seeing any of them drawing. Derek and Jamal were coaching the twins in some kind of first person fighting game but neither had responded when she held up the book. In all honesty, she probably didn't want to know which teenage boy was imagining her with a super model's body anyway. It would just be embarrassing for everyone. Still, she'd hardly had time to write all week and the urge to fill in the story was just too strong. She fished around the night stand beside her for a pencil. She'd write lightly and whoever owned it could always erase her contributions later.

It felt like twenty minutes later that someone was shaking her foot to wake her. The room was dark and quiet. Well, as quiet as a room with four sleeping teens could be. Someone had pulled a blanket over her but she still woke cold and stiff. "What?" She mumbled as she sat up blinking a few times, getting her bearings. Across the room, the connecting door was open and enough light spilled out for her to see Ethan standing at her feet. She vaguely remembered drifting off after filling the bottom half of the notebook pages with an action tale. She'd even added a few pages to complete the story.

"Kat." He whispered. Even in the dark she could see he was crying. A glance at the digital clock on the nightstand between the two beds revealed that it was nearly 2 AM.

She started shuffling toward the end of the bed. "I need help." The little boy was crossing one leg over the other, bending his knees, and then crossing the other way. Her sleep addled mind assessed the situation immediately.

"If you need the bathroom, knock on the door and tell who ever's in it to get out." She lightly grasped his shoulder and turned him towards the bathroom.

"No, no one's in it. I've knotted my jammies and I can't get out." He turned and arched his back so his skinny belly stuck out. "See. I tried to wake up Ray because he always helps me, but he won't wake up."

She leaned over the end of the bed and did her best to unknot the ties on the shorts the kid was wearing. It wouldn't have been too difficult except Ethan couldn't stop moving as he did his potty dance. When the knot finally came undone he flashed her a grin as he raced for the bathroom. "Thanks Kat." She just barely grabbed the door and shut it quietly before he slammed up the seat.

She glanced around. Where the heck was Ray? She recognized Jamal's dreads sticking out beneath the other blanket on the bed she'd been in. Derek's long legs left his feet hanging off the second bed and she was pretty sure she saw Gabe's glasses on the nightstand beside a blanket covered lump.

As she shuffled over to check the other room she almost stepped on him. He was sleeping on the floor, wrapped in one of the spreads, his jacket folded up as a pillow. He hadn't even taken off his shoes before falling asleep. She bent and began to unlace his sneakers. Where helping Ethan with the ties on his PJs had felt natural, touching Ray's person felt audacious and she hoped he wouldn't wake up and find her there. But she was safe because he must have been too exhausted. She managed to lift his legs and tug off the shoes without even a break in his deep breathing. As Ethan emerged from the bathroom, the flash of the light revealed the pale sole of one foot through a large hole in Ray's sock. She thought momentarily about removing them too, but then she pulled back her hand. If he could sleep in shoes, surely socks wouldn't bother him.

After taking Ethan back to his room with the younger boys, she said goodnight and tiptoed out the door. The girls had been right. Ray needed more sleep. She made a note to talk to Commander Foster-Green about it tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

This band played my hen party a million moons ago. It was awesome. I am really sad that Michener didn't stick around. His character really grew on me over time.

**Great Big Heart, Killer Flamingos**

The SUVs were rumbling slowly along route 94. Danny had recommended they keep it under 35 miles per hour. Even though the ruts in the packed snow and ice were worn through to the pavement, the day had been warm for January and he was afraid that there might be sections where the slushy muck was beginning to freeze back onto the road. Danny and Carlton sat mute in the front seat while Tex and Michener were in the back, arguing about who's alma mater was better. It was only 4:30 PM but already growing dark and everyone was restless.

"Oh come on Pres. On top of academics, you have to admit that the climate in the Bay Area is much better than Michigan." Tex was ribbing the President about having graduated about the same time, in the same field, but from a higher ranked school. They eventually agreed that after a certain level, the caliber of an individual student's work mattered more than the ranking of the program.

"Well, I suppose it you're OK with earthquakes and you're too soft for Michigan winters." Michener defended good naturedly.

Tex chuckled but he shot back. "Tahoe man. You haven't lived until you've spent your weekends in Tahoe."

"I'll admit, I was too poor for that kind of thing as a grad student." Michener grinned. "I had to settle for football and beer. Oh wait…that's the best football and some pretty good beer."

"Ha. Well you got me on that. I was mostly too poor too, honestly. Spent most of grad school driving through Tahoe on the weekends to get out to see Claire. But every once in a while I'd blow my rent money to go skiing or boating anyways." They drove on in silence for a while. Danny and Carlton had already come this way the day before without any problems. The red glow of Wolf's tail lights in front of them were the only thing they could see in the gathering gloom, but Danny knew that if they could see it would mostly be a landscape of rolling hills and snow bedraggled corn fields broken by an occasional grouping of houses or barns.

Finally the exit came into view and Danny slowed the truck to take a steeply banked corner. In front of him Wolf skidded to a stop at the foot of the ramp where there were three trucks parked perpendicular to the roadway making an improvised tollbooth. Two men in blue parkas with neon utility worker's belts strapped over them approached, one on each side, while a third man watched from the back of a pickup. Danny eyed the hunting rifle the man held. That was some serious firepower for a civilian. A fourth man was sitting in a garbage truck awaiting the order to move and open the pathway forward. Ahead of them Wolf introduced himself and the man he was talking to nodded. The flashlights swung their way and Danny called out. "Hail to the Victors!"

He'd met these guys yesterday and they had assured them safe passage into the city. Beyond Ann Arbor and into Detroit they couldn't make any guarantees, but despite being an early hot spot, the city had stayed fairly organized, probably due to the huge numbers of students that left in the early days and the strict enforcement of quarantine and safe zones. When he'd told Michener, the man had hung his head. "Well there's a cruel irony there I suppose." was all he'd said, confusing Danny.

The lead sentry jogged back to Danny's car. "Lieutenant Green! I am glad you made it back here tonight!" They shook hands through the car window. "I was a bit thrown off by the Aussie up there but you're all clear now. We've arranged accommodations for your group at the university President's house. I'll let them know you've arrived. There's only one place to eat in town right now and they are expecting you for a hot meal tonight."

Danny grinned. He could eat a horse right now. "That sounds great. What's the address?"

There was a fumbling sound from the back. "Damnit Green, turn off the child locks!" muttered Michener. Danny flipped the switch and Michener rolled down the glass in the backseat. "Hello, I am Jeffery Michener." He stuck his head out, despite Tex swearing at him to stay inside. "Thank you for the welcome."

"Mr. President!" The man's brows rose underneath his winter hat. "So glad we could host you."

"You know about the contagious cure?" Danny had noticed that the farther the trip went, the more desperate Michener seemed to be to meet as many people as possible and spread the cure as far as possible. "Where's dinner? I think we'll go straight to dinner so there's more time for shaking hands and sharing the cure immediately after."

"The Redhawk Sir. We heard it was a favorite of yours so we opened it up for the night."

"Good, spread the word to gather on the Diag and as soon as we eat we'll be out there."

"That will be great." The guard smiled warmly at Jeffery. "Green and Burk inoculated a few people last night." The man patted his own upper arm. "We've tried to mingle as much as we could today, but more people will come out if they here you are making an appearance."

Twenty minutes later Danny was sitting with Burk, Tex, and the President in a booth at an ordinary looking pub while Wolf stood between tables, keeping an eye on things. The lights were on, music was playing, and a waiter was handing out menus. It had been six months since he'd eaten in a restaurant and it felt strange, having a choice of what to eat for dinner. He and Burk had done a cursory check before they sat down and everything seemed ok here. There were a few guys in the kitchen and two waiters. The 30 people in their group were tired, but they had perked up at the thought of good food and now were practically filling the little place to the rim.

"Ah, we don't actually have everything on the menu, of course. But we can do most of the sandwiches except anything with hamburger." The waiter frowned apologetically. "We haven't been able to get any beef for quite a while. If you're craving a burger we can fake it with lamb, well ok, mutton really. There's a guy from the town to the west who has been supplying us all winter." He seemed flustered to be addressing the President.

"Oh I have no doubt whatever you can make will be fine." Michener reassured him in that fatherly tone he used with people who were nervous around him. Danny liked that about him, the way he instinctively seemed to try to put people at ease all the time. They chatted as they waited for the food to arrive.

"So, I actually applied to college here." Danny told Michener. "But I ended up at Duke, because it was a little closer to home."

"Understandable." Jeffery smiled. "I choose to go here because it was close to home too. I grew up in Saginaw, only about two hours away." They chatted for a while about that until their meals came.

"I applied here as my backup actually." Burk chimed in. "I figured that if I didn't follow my big brother into the academy, I could console my Mama with football tickets."

'Ah, Big 10. It's all hype." Tex was grinning, completely ruining the effect of his taunt.

Michener nudged Danny. "On that note, I'm going to check in with our people." Danny followed and blocked the sight lines from the front as Michener chatted with the restaurant staff and their own people. Simpson-Slattery's team had taken the first guard rotation outside, but he still wasn't taking any chances. The waitstaff told Michener how they had been running a university cafeteria for survivors but they had volunteered for tonight when they heard they would be serving the President. He hugged a rather surprised waiter. "I should be thanking you. We are very grateful for the support."

Waiters began bringing out plates but Jeffrey was busy talking to one of the guards that had come with them from the roadblock about favorite hunting spots up north. A few people took a bite, but noticing no one was eating, set their sandwiches back down and waited. The room slowly quieted as Michener and the guard kept chatting. Danny listened politely but as his own plate was set on the table his stomach growled hungrily.

Finally, he couldn't resist. He leaned over to Burk. "Wow! I think I'm in love already. Those fries look amazing." Michener took the hint.

"My goodness! No need to wait on my account." He nodded to the guard. "Thank you for arranging such a nice welcome. This is a dream."

He slid into the booth and Danny followed so that Michener was protected on the inside. "I was sorry to interrupt, you looked relaxed for once." He commented, hoping it wouldn't offend the President. "But I wasn't kidding. These are the best fries I've seen in a long time." He pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of his plate. "Kara will be jealous. She has a weakness for fries right now."

Jeffery gave a droopy smile. "I fell in love over these fries once. Took my wife here for our first date back in…1992!"

"Oh." Danny recalled that the man's wife and all three kids had died in the Florida outbreak. The thought of going back to that Norfolk nightclub where he had first met Kara but going without her flashed though him leaving his heart feeling like it was pumping solid lead. "I, I'm so sorry sir. You should have said and we could have set up dinner elsewhere." He looked out of the corner of his eye and was surprised to see the President had pasted on a smile. It must be so hard, Danny thought, to keep it together after so much loss.

Jeffery reached across the table for a bottle of vinegar. His hand shook but he seemed determined to ignore it. "You know what? I'm glad I came here. And glad I came with you guys. I had so much nervous hope back then, sort of like I do now. I look at you, such fine young, and.." He nodded at Tex, "not so young men, willing to sacrifice to rebuild this country and I feel tremendous hope for our future. Tremendous hope."

He splashed his fries with the vinegar and then passed the bottle to Tex. "You ever eat them this way?"

Tex grinned. "Can't say that I have. Is this some strange midwestern custom that I know nothing about?"

"Actually, I think it's imported." Michener lifted a fry to his lips and took a good bite. He closed his eyes and chewed behind his smile. "Here's a great memory for you. On that first date we were just 22 and 20. My wife came from a pretty well off family but mine was blue collar. I was very, very nervous that she'd think my manners weren't up to snuff. I was so nervous she'd be offended if I took her someplace less expensive so I took on two extra tutoring sessions to have some extra cash. I showed up in a suit jacket planning to take her to the fancy Chop House on Main Street. She had on jeans and an old tee and said she wanted to come here instead. We ordered, drank some beer, and conversation was going really well. When our food arrived she put little dabs of every single condiment on her fries. And when she got to the fries with vinegar she closed her eyes and made this little sound of enjoyment…" He paused and Danny could see the moisture pooling in the corner of his eye. "You know that sound, once you hear the woman you love make it you will do anything to get it out of her again." They all nodded, even Burk. "That was it, I was hooked. So I doused my fries in the smelly stuff and offered her some more. Of course she refused until I tried it too. And of course, well, the rest is history." It occurred to Danny then, that in some strange parallel universe, where the Red Flu never happened, Michener could have been sitting in this booth with his family, telling the very same story.

Tex helped keep them from traveling too far down memory lane by roping Michener into a discussion about whether the federal government could improve morale by starting up some professional sports again. Pretty soon Wolf was arguing in favor of promoting footie, rugby, and cricket "to be better aligned with the rest of the world" while the three Canadians they had along were arguing about whether the population declines would reverse climate change enough to bring back outdoor hockey.

After the meal they went out into the cold evening. The snow that had been chasing them all day had finally caught up and fat, wet flakes were beginning to drift down, giving everything a sharp glitter under the streetlights. The guard directed them kiddie corner to the university campus where people lined the walkway stretching diagonally under arching trees. Their escort from the toolbooth pointed out the path. "The mayor is in the library at the other side of the Diag. We've got hot drinks in there and we thought we could shake hands along the way and then invite people inside."

Danny caught Wolf scanning the crowd. Yes, this was a security nightmare. But he knew instinctively that Michener would love the idea because it meant meeting lots of people fast. "Alright." He spoke into his mike, hoping everyone else had their headsets in. "Simpson-Slattery, take your team in to eat. Stay on comms and meet us at the library when you finish. Wolf, Burk you guys take a quick pass to the end and then circle back around the backsides and provide cover. Everyone else will be small arms ready. Miller and Cruz, you'll precede Mittens and the cure team. Tex you stick to Mittens. And I'll follow from behind." He looked around their volunteers and waved a short balding guy forward. "Ahhh.."

"Paul sir." He really liked this guy because he always seemed so organized and unflappable. Too bad he was leaving them when they got to the Canadian border tomorrow.

"OK, Paul, get your group organized to do the hug and kiss routine right here behind the President and Tex."

He spoke into the mic again. "Mason and Alisha, you'll provide cover from about 20 yards back." Once the plan was settled they moved forward into the crowd. Danny was right. Michener loved this part. He shook hands, hugged, cried, and cheered with people. And every time someone called him a hero he blushed, thanked them, and announced that the American people were the real heroes in all this. The crowd was surprisingly orderly, save for the kids in brightly colored snowsuits, the pom poms on their hats bouncing as they darted between the trees in games of tag. Their previous events like this had plenty of personnel on hand babysitting the crowd and backup nearby too. Indeed, in Champaign they'd had to arrest some people trying to prevent them from going into a poorer, predominantly minority neighborhood. And in Gary there had been some organized Immune activity they had to diffuse before the event. But this was a small and surprise gathering. And people were even more excited than usual. Maybe it was because they considered the President one of their own that they were willing to brave the icy cold for a handshake from a man who was practically unknown just a month ago.

They were about 3/4 of the way down the walk when Wolf's voice sounded on the comm. "There's two guys combing the backside of the crowd, shaking hands, talking to people, about 20 steps behind Mittens at your 4 o'clock. Want us to pick them up?"

"Are they carrying?" Danny swiveled his gaze, trying to see over the layers of people and steamy puffs of warm breaths against the dark night sky. Adrenalin rushed through him and he stepped between Michener and that angle even though he couldn't see who Wolf was referring to.

"No, mate. I don't think so. Unless you count notepads and cameras. They are talking to people, shaking hands, snapping pictures, all that. But people seem to be getting a little miffed after they've talked to them. One guy grabbed the camera guy, said something rude I think. I'm pretty sure I recognize the guy with the beard. We've seen him before somewhere."

"Granderson?" Could be nothing or it could be some rabble rousing Immunes, either way, this was a situation that called for tact. "Go make friends with these guys and report back. Mason, keep cover on her." He saw them move off into the crowd.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught a flash a few rows back. "Knife!" his brain screamed and he backed up to cover the President more tightly. But when he turned his head, it was only the reflection from someone's camera on a selfie stick as they held it up to take a picture of the momentous occasion. His pulse was pounding now, but as he looked around, his back to Tex's, he saw nothing to be alarmed about. He nudged Tex with his elbow. "See what you can do to hurry Mittens along."

Tex whispered something to Michener and the President nodded. Danny continued to scan the crowd as the President began to walk faster, quickly grasping hands and waving and leaning over to kiss women on their cheeks but not stopping to talk. People were closing in on the pathway behind them, following toward the raised steps at the library. The concrete and brick building was well lit and the steps made a sort of natural stage. Michener whispered something to Tex as he headed toward the steps, stopping to hug a woman and baby and then help a small child with her winter hat.

"You know he's got to make a speech." Despite Tex's relaxed drawl, tense lines formed around his eyes and he shook his head. Danny glanced down the path behind them. He saw the interpreter in Simpson-Slattery's group engaged in deep conversation at the edge of the sidewalk while Garth directed the rest of his group to spread out to watch from the sides. The additional bodies put some of his fears at ease.

"They're reporters sir." Alisha's confident voice rang out in his comm link. "I don't think they are a threat at all. They were in Grand Rapids this morning, that's where we saw them before. I'm escorting them to the front now."

"Simpson-Slattery, you take my position, I'll go meet these guys."

He elbowed his way to the side where Alisha was chatting with the bearded reporter. The somewhat gaunt man did indeed look familiar. Beneath a very nice insulated trenchcoat he wore a sweater over a shirt and tie. No one else other than the President and the mayor were in ties right now. The man immediately thrust his hand forward. Lieutenant Green, Jacob Barnes, I'm with the Washington Post."

Danny declined to shake his hand. Instead he turned to the man holding the camera and wearing a vest full of pockets. His instincts told him that the shorter, fatter, and slightly balding man was less likely to feed him a line about who they were. "And you are?"

"Ravit Patel. Detroit Free Press. We are only trying to record the President for posterity, Sir. Could you get us a meeting with him tomorrow?"

He recalled Michener's words on the press at the meeting two weeks ago. Once again he was irritated that Michener had insisted on taking this trip himself, and so soon. The Navy could have handled distributing the cure while Michener could have spent the time doing important things, like creating a press policy. He wondered what Kara would do in this instance. She'd probably know exactly how to send these guys on their way.

"Look Barnes, Patel, there is no press corps yet and the President is too busy on this trip for giving interviews. We'll be gone by morning. Spreading the cure is our utmost priority right now." Patel glanced at Barnes and worried his lip.

"Is that a formal policy then, the bit about spreading the cure?" asked Barnes.

Shit. He did not want to be responsible for any statements that were repeated in the press. The order was don't talk to the press after all. He tried to think of the things he'd heard Chandler say to the reporters who'd shown up in St. Louis.

"You do not have my permission to use my or any of my people's statements. I'm sorry, but that's the only official comment I can make."

Barnes leaned in , smelling something juicy. "Do you mean to say the President has the military under a gag order! Can you tell me about that?" Damnit. Well, he might instantly dislike the guy, but the little worm was obviously on the right career path.

"No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that I do not give you permission to print any of MY words or the words of ANY people under my command." Danny slammed his fist into his palm for emphasis. Damn it all to hell, he wasn't cut out for these kinds of politics.

"Well, can you at least tell us where he is headed next? It's too bad people here didn't know he was coming. They could have organized a bigger meeting."

"This was unplanned." Danny ground out. "And no, I can't tell you where he's going next."

What about Detroit? Ann Arbor is pretty much an upper middle class crowd here. Any plans for an event in Detroit, Flint, Dearborn Heights? Or is the President targeting white middle class citizens to receive the cure first?"

Danny threw up his hands in exasperation. "Jesus guys. Some would say the man is a hero. Put your skills to good use and raise people's morale with some feel good stories or go investigate something else why don't you!" He turned to go but the crowd was breaking into some kind of fight song about conquering heroes and victors as Michener climbed the steps.

"Now now, I love your spirit but I'm no hero. No let us remember the men and women of the Navy who fought to bring you this cure, who right now are helping put this country back together. And lets remember the leaders in your own community who helped you stick together for six long months. And don't forget the heroism inside each and every one of you. That courage that kept you going. That sense of fellowship which drove you to help each other survive.."

Patel raised his camera and began shooting. "Got to give Michener credit, the guy can give a speech when his heart is in it."

Barnes nodded. "Yeah, he wasn't half this charismatic when he spoke in Grand Rapids this morning. It really means something to him, being here, doesn't it?" He looked to Danny, eyebrows raised challenging him to give a response.

Danny shook his head. "Look guys, it's still a free country so do whatever you want but leave the conspiracy theories out of it, stay out of trouble, and leave us alone to do our work, ok?"


	5. Chapter 5

**No Fun, The Stooges**

Danny woke with a start. The darkened room looked like some kind of bizarre sleepover. Beside him, Cruz snored slightly. Wolf was sprawled over a couch, his feet hanging off the end. Miller and Mason occupied the floor. The light was on in the hall but he didn't see any shadows of people up and about so he carefully slid out of the covers.

"What's up mate?" Wolf muttered sleepily.

Danny slid his arms into the sleeves of his thermal shirt. "Something woke me up. I'm going to make a round and check on everything."

"Need company?"

"No, but keep a radio close just in case." He picked up his boots and headed for the door. "Hopefully I'll be back in a few minutes.

He tiptoed past the room occupied by the women on the trip and the one for the Army team. Both were quiet. The bathroom was empty too. He slowly made his way down the stairs. The wood floors gleamed and the he used the pattern on the plush carpet runner to know where to skip the creaky step he'd noted on the way up. The lights were dimmed in the reception room and the kitchen. Only the hall outside the master suite, currently housing the President, were on.

"Everything ok Sir?" Specialist Goodwin asked from her post outside the door. Burk just raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Yeah, something woke me up. Thought I'd just take a look around.

"Been quiet." Burk nodded toward the door behind him. "Once Tex talked Mittens out of going for a walk, they all settled down pretty quick." Burk had dark circles around his eyes and his posture was pretty slouchy but Danny knew he wouldn't let any suspicious activity get by him.

"Alright, must have just been in my head."

"I hear that reporter got in your head a bit." Now Burk had a twinkle in his eye. "Got you to threaten to shoot him."

"Yeah, a real interfering jerk. You know that if something had happened while he was pulling our attention away from Mittens he would have written all about our incompetence. Nothing good ever comes from talking to reporters."

Burk winked at Goodwin. "Good thing Commander Green is better at public relations than you are."

"Har har. I'm gonna make a circle outside."

Burk tapped his ear. "Look alive out there. Green is coming around."

Danny let himself out the front door as quietly as he could. The guard at the door nodded. The air had the strange slightly too warm and heavy feeling it got before a snow storm and large, fat, wet flakes were slowly drifting down from the dark sky. He stepped off the path into the lawn, leaving bright green marks where his boots crushed and melted the two inches of accumulation. "This is stupid." He said to himself as he trudged around the side of the house. There was Granderson giving him a thumbs up from her post by the kitchen door. Around the next corner he nodded to Yates. They must think he was either a micromanager, unable to trust his people with simple guard duty, or losing it. But around the next corner he stopped in his tracks. There were two sets of footprints leading away from a small back terrace. He tried the doorknob and sure enough, it was unlocked.

Silently cursing, he quietly crossed the President's room. The bed was still unmade. The man's coat and boots were missing. It appeared their President had gone for a walk after all. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Chandler had warned him that Michener was harder to babysit than he looked, but he hadn't listened to the subtext, had he?

He opened the hall door. "Burk." He whispered. "We need to talk to you in here."

Carlton came in and Danny shut the door behind him. "Where is Michener?" Carlton looked around confused, his eyes staring at the open bathroom door before realizing that he really wasn't in there.

"Shhh, it's probably best if everyone else doesn't know that he's gone for a walk. Who was guarding him?"

"Shit." Burk slammed one fist into the other. "I should have known. Tex. He asked for the first shift too that goddamned, reckless, son of a.."

"Alright, alright, chill out." Danny cut him off. "At least he's with someone who knows what they are doing. "I'm going to follow and retrieve our wayward sheep. You got your phone on you?

"Yeah, we keep this quiet unless you need backup?"

"Exactly."

The tracks weren't disguised in any way and it appeared that Michener had headed somewhere purposefully. Danny set off at a light jog. Fortunately the temperatures were hovering near freezing so the snow wasn't icing on the walk ways. He followed the trail across the street into a neighborhood with small apartment blocks, restaurants, and university buildings mixed together. Chandler would have his head if the something happened to the President. They needed him to bring a sense of hope and recovery. Especially now that there was some kind of separatist movement going on in the Southwest.

About five minutes later he turned a corner and saw the tracks leading up to the front of a large multicolored house. The red columns and mint green panels probably looked festive when people were around, but now in the dark winter night it had a creepy fun-house vibe instead. The footsteps passed between a stone porch railing to the large front door but it didn't look like they went inside. Instead, they continued around the side to a large tree and disappeared. He looked up into the spreading branches of the large maple. "Holy shit, I don't believe this." He muttered to himself. Seriously. What the hell was Tex thinking letting the President climb a tree in the middle of winter? They weren't in the tree now so they must have used it to go over the wall.

Sighing, he grasped an overhead branch and braced his feet against the trunk. Once he'd hauled himself up about six feet off the ground he could see over the fence. It was some kind of beer garden or something. Picnic tables were stacked and shielded with tarps at one end of the patio. The snow was mussed in front of a fountain where Michener must have paced back and forth. The footsteps led around the corner of one of the large lower porches. He swung down from an overhanging branch and continued following.

Sure enough, it looked like the President and Tex had used a few lawn chairs to climb over the privacy fence on the other side. "It's the middle of the fucking night." He grumbled as he carefully continued his pursuit. He couldn't believe that the President, whom he still half blamed for all the destruction caused by the Ramsey's, for Rachel's death, and even for allowing Amy Granderson and Dr. Hamada to take advantage of the Washington power vacuum, had gone so far on his own The man hardly seemed able to find his way out of a paper bag.

In another five minutes he found the trail weaving through backyards in a neighborhood of three story Victorians. Based on the cheap cars in the back lots and the small management company signs on the porches, he assumed they were mostly student apartments. The trail went up another front porch but this time the front door was left wide open, the light spilling out into the snowy yard. Danny gulped. Seven red X's marred the heavy wooden front door. The foul smell hit him like a splash of raw sewage before he even entered the building. "Damn it Tex. You know better than this!" He grimaced as he stepped over the threshold.

He could see Tex off to the side, standing guard. What the hell was going on? They had made no effort to hide their trail from the university president's house to here. The house likely contained at least seven bodies in some state of decomposition, and yet here they were, standing in the foyer.

"Ah, I figured it was either you or Burk tailing me." Tex was holding a brightly patterned handkerchief over his nose but based on the pained look in his eyes, Danny doubted it was helping much.

He fished in his breast pocket as he answered. "What the fuck is going on here Tex? Where the hell is Michener? We need eyes on him at all times." His fingers closed around the small pot of Vick's Vaporub and he quickly dipped his little finger in as he took in the place. Behind Tex the living room was littered with red plastic cups and pizza boxes. The ratty couch was covered with a blanket, one damp looking sneaker peaking out beneath.

The bodies were still in here! He sucked in a sharp breath. The menthol smell making his eyes water. His heart flip flopped as he remembered Kara handing him the container as they prepped equipment for the trip in to the lab in Florida. "You worried about kissing me with chapped lips? It may be winter but it is Florida after all." He'd attempted to hand it back to her.

But she'd closed his hand over the little jar. "Put it on your upper lip, if the smells of, well you know, get too strong." Her nose wrinkled. "We used to use it when we were mucking out the barns." He'd known she was worried that it would be like that Italian cruise ship again and he'd come back shaken, or worse so he'd taken it. And later, when they did encounter the remains in the lab he'd been grateful that she'd prepared him.

"Suck it up Green." Tex gave Danny a stern look, increasing his confusion. "His son lived here."

A strange sort of grief swept over him then. His own child wasn't even born yet and still he thought the pain would break him if they lost Flutter. How would it be to raise a child only to lose them on the cusp of adulthood? "Jesus."

"Yeah, I know. Tried to talk him out of it but he said he was going whether I came or not. And he made a good case for letting the rest of you sleep. Big day tomorrow and all."

"Then why trek over to that restaurant?"

Tex hung his head. "Apparently that's where the kid heard about the Red Flu. Was so spooked he called the Pres and begged him to bring him home."

There was a creak at the top of the stairs and Danny looked up to see Michener. He looked gaunt and fragile, unlike the man who had triumphantly raised his fist as he sung along with the crowd a few hours ago. "You all set here sir?" Tex reached out for the small bag the President was carrying but he held it close to his body and shook his head. Tex withdrew his arm with a muted. "Ok."

"Lieutenant Green, I am sorry to have drawn you from your rest but I had to come."

Danny wondered what was in the bag. Mementos of his son? Family heirlooms? He certainly didn't have the heart to ask. Instead he opened the door and lead the way out into the blessedly fresh night air. "I just want to be sure you are safe, Sir." What he really wanted to do was stomp down the porch steps and demand the President tell him what was so important that he risked his own safety to obtain it. He had a feeling Tom Chandler would do the exact opposite though so he just marched away. "Now that this is done, we need to get you back."

"One more stop. Just one more." Michener's voice was low but firm and Danny knew in his gut that he wasn't asking.

He turned and walked the other way, back to following. "Sir, where are we going? I can have Burk bring the car, get you out of the open."

"No need. We'll be there before he can get there." Michener was walking surprisingly fast for a man who didn't work out and had already trekked a few miles that night. Tex was unusually quiet as they puffed along in the snow. The fat flakes had stopped and the sky was clearing a little. With it, the air was taking on a colder nip. Danny noticed that the stretch of houses they were walking along were all X'd. Although it appeared the city had removed trash and cleaned up what they could, the overgrown lawns and dark windows gave the area a desolate feel. Michener crossed the street and set off between several fenced athletic fields, the neat precision of the artificial turf was a stark contrast to the unkempt properties on the other side of the street. Up ahead, several large concrete buildings loomed over them. After a few more minutes they were close enough to see that they were headed for the football stadium.

Michener marched right up to the gate and pushed it open. "A couple of the locals asked me if I wanted to speak here tomorrow. So I had a good idea that I could get in." He led them through a tunnel and emerged on the walkway overlooking the field below. Blue and maize plastic seats and aluminum benches stretched all around them. Trinkets, photos, wilted flowers, old shirts, and all sorts of memorabilia littered the seats, especially a large section that Danny was guessing belonged to student season ticket holders. People had pulled Navy, maize, and gray shirts over the backs of the seats making the stadium look half occupied. There were no bodies here, but the smell indicated that there had been recently, so someone had been doing some upkeep. The President began muttering about sections and seat numbers as they worked their way around to the 50 yard line and down several rows. "Aha, here it is." He began to shuffle into a long row of seats.

Tex looked over his shoulder at Danny and shrugged, following Michener into the row. In the dark Danny could barely see across to the other side of the oval but a guy with a laser scope would have no problem. Large sky boxes hung over them as well. "Sir, this position offers no cover."

"I command you to let it go Green. Can I do that? Yeah, I can do that." Michener's voice broke as he said it.

Frustration mounting, Danny offered protest even though he didn't expect it to change anything. "But Sir, my job is.."

The President twisted away from the field to face him squarely. "Your job is following my orders Lieutenant. Now sit."

Danny sat with a huff of displeasure. He would toe the line, but he didn't feel the need to be Mr. Sunshine about it. At first they just sat there, looking out into the shadows, listening to the echos of dripping water and the creaking seats. With a heavy sigh, Michener drew a Navy blue sweatshirt from the backpack. He hugged it to his face, inhaling deeply. Then for a long moment he sat, face covered with the shirt, just breathing heavily through it.

Michener's shoulders shuddered and Danny was pretty sure the President was crying. He caught Tex's eye, unsure of what to do. Should they try to comfort him? He would have preferred to stand guard and let the President have a private moment instead. Tex shook his head slightly and slumped in his seat a little further so Danny huddled into his jacket and tried to keep an eye on the entrances and exits. After a few minutes of labored breathing, Michener finally laid the shirt across his lap. His face was once again composed.

He stuck his hand in again and withdrew a tin of small candies. They clinked against the metal box as he opened them an held them out to Tex and Danny. "Here, these were his favorite." It was the first he'd spoken in almost 10 minutes. "Discovered them when he was quitting smoking and the habit stuck." Danny put the little tablet in his mouth. His lips immediately started to burn with the fiery taste of capsacin and cinnamon.

"Whoooo! Gonna have to wash my mouth out with snow! Your kid had good taste!" Tex grinned as he accepted a second piece from Michener.

"He did. He was an exceptional young man. He.." Michener paused as he drew another object out of the bag and laid it on the sweatshirt. "He had some problems but he was working through them. He was going to be alright." Michener set the bag on the ground and Danny could see what else he'd taken out. It was a high precision competition air pistol, a pretty nice one from the looks of it.

"Do we need to be concerned now?" Danny was glad Tex asked so he didn't have to. He didn't know the entire story but he knew the tape on the President's wrists hadn't been for carpal tunnel.

Michener's head jerked up in alarm. "No! No! Nothing like that! But I have to get rid of this… I can't move forward If I.." It seemed that Michener couldn't quite find the words for what he wanted to say. Danny thought about the leaders he knew..Chandler, Slattery, Master Chief, his father. They all seemed to plan out what they would say before they started. It was a skill he envied, but couldn't quite seem to master himself. Usually he was halfway through blurting something out before he realized what he was saying. In that moment he realized what it was he truly respected about the President. They both had the same problem with impulsive outbursts. And yet unlike himself, whom Kara often claimed had the emotional IQ of a cereal box, Michener somehow used his gut feelings to inform his strategy, not war with logic.

"He had stayed for the summer so he could spread out his schedule and have more time for training. He called me from that beer garden we were just at. He was scared and confused and asked me to bring him home. I told him to suck it up. Gave him a pep talk about getting ahead in summer school and how much his coaches believed in his talent." As he talked, Michener bled the cartridge and removed the rounds. "He bucked up. Or at least I thought he did. But a day later he called again. He was at the practice range, crying. Told me he'd seen news reports from New York on TV. That he didn't want to die that way. That he wouldn't let it happen. He'd go out on his own terms." The desperate terror of Michener's voice shook him. "To get that call as a parent, too far away to do anything other than talk? "I knew he had the gun. Might even have had it in his hand. So I caved and told him to get on a plane and come home." Michener wiped his eyes with the hood of the sweatshirt. "But in doing so I might as well come to a football game and held this gun to the head of each and every person here." He held the now empty pistol up to his own head and pantomimed pulling the trigger.

Danny winced, remembering the horror of Frankie putting his sidearm to his head on the Italian cruise ship. Tex's voice was gruff and low. "People were moving all over in those early days. You know better than anyone that we were all too stunned to enforce the quarantines the way we should of."

Michener patted Tex's shoulder. "I know. I know. I was so naive at that point. You always think that when the time comes you'll do the right thing. I could have saved so many by letting him go. But he was my son and I wasn't strong enough to do it."

Tex grasped Michener's hand. "You were strong enough to be his father instead." Danny wondered when father's developed that wise voice? He would have a baby soon, and all he felt was clueless and worried, but Tex? Tex just calmly said exactly the right thing. "Love isn't a numbers game. There is no burden to bear for choosing him."

Michener set the gun back on his lap and didn't say anything for a long while. "That's why I had to come here and do this, tonight." He pointed at the city skyline, dark against the scudding clouds of the slowly clearing sky. "You see that building over on the right? That's part of the hospital where my son was born. The first time I brought him here, he was so small we didn't even get him his own seat. Well, that and we were still in our poor grad student days." Danny looked out at the rows and rows of seats, hundreds probably, covered in clothing or other trinkets. He supposed a good number of the people memorialized had been born, and maybe died, in the same place. Unbidden, a question of where Flutter would be born came to mind. Where would he or she live? Would Flutter even grow up with a connection to a special place like Michener was describing now?

"His plan had always been to come here for college. He said it was his favorite place out of all the places we'd lived." Michener fingered the collar of the sweatshirt, hiccuping on new sobs. "I can't lead the way the country needs me to with my shame hanging over my head. I've already let fear of the future, and the past, steer me on the wrong course more than once. I'm done letting guilt cower me into the corner. If I can't trust my decisions anymore, if all I can think about it the sorrow that cuts me down when I look at all these seats and know that with that one decision I doomed this many, over 100,000 people, maybe more, well I'm of no use then." He sighed and fidgeted the small metal bb rounds, draining them from one hand into to the another and back again with a soft swoosh. "Because deep down, I know that I would do it again." His voice was barely over a whisper but Danny heard it loud and clear. "Every time. I would do it knowing that horrible death was coming. I would do it because I was his father and I couldn't let him die thinking I's abandoned him." Tex nodded, clearly understanding the struggle the president was admitting too. Danny wanted to say something, anything, to ease the terrible ache in his chest. Was that what it was going to be like the rest of his life, after Flutter? "Now I have to look past that shame and do what I can as a leader. Not to make amends, but because that's what a leader does for his people. If I can't get past this. We will fail as a nation."

Tex took Michener's hand and drained the bb's into his own. They rattled as he placed them in the pocket of his leather jacket. "No more trying to leave us now?" He asked, his voice low and hoarse. Danny gripped the arm of his seat, awaiting the answer, finally understanding a bit of what motivated the President.

Michener sat up straighter. "No more. I'm done with that." His voice was growing more firm, his mind made up. "My son would have been my biggest supporter. He.." His voice broke momentarily but he just took a deep breath and continued on through it. "He believed in me like only your own child can. So I'm going to go out, and do what I can to bring it back, to make the world at least as good as it was before." He pushed himself to his feet and Tex and Danny stood as well, watching as Michener fussed about, arranging the shirt of the back of the seat. He laid the mints on one arm and the gun on the other.

"I'm not sure I am ready to go. But I have to so it now, before I lose my resolve." Michener pressed a kiss to his shaking fingers and then pressed them to yellow M on the breast of the shirt. Then he straightened, and nodded to Tex who proceeded them out to the stairs. They passed quickly out under the arch and Danny swore he heard him whispering under his breath. "With might and main we cheer."


	6. Chapter 6

**We've Got Tonight, Bob Segar**

As Danny trudged back through snow that was quickly turning to slush, he struggled with his feelings about Michener. He'd let his annoyance with the man fuel him while he searched the town, but now that his anger had deflated, he was exhausted through to his bones. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was already 3 AM. He'd been awakened at 3 AM the night before he left for this trip, but he doubted he'd wake up nearly as satisfied in a few hours. They weren't planning to get on the road until 0900 tomorrow but it wasn't like he could sleep 'til 0845 and show up expecting everyone to be organized and ready to go.

It seemed like leaving Kara got harder every time he had to do it. The night before they had left for Chicago, Chandler had hosted the team for the evening meal in the wardroom. Everyone else had been in high spirits about the good work they were doing. Wolf had practically glowed at the prospect of getting some news about Australia from the Canadian delegation. Burk regaled Miller with stories about growing up in Chicago, even though he admitted he'd be shocked to find any of his family alive there. Even Granderson came out of her shell a little, challenging Val on her knowledge of Motown music, which it turned out was something (he was pretty sure it was the only thing) the two women shared in common. Kara sat beside him, laughing and joking with everyone, even though he knew she was uncomfortable in the formal dress blues she had spent two hours altering the night before. It had kind of hurt actually, to feel so glum and see that the very person he was sad to leave didn't seem to have a care in the world.

He really wished he could tell her she was right, about Michener and their work, and everything. Instead he had to settle for reliving that last conversation.

He'd woken around 3 AM. At first he wasn't sure what woke him. As he often did when he became suddenly alert, he measured his breathing and kept his eyes closed, just in case there was a threat lurking. He listened intently to the sounds of the hotel room. Kara was beginning to get up a few times a night to use the bathroom, but just then she was curled up beside him with her strategically positioned pillows holding her on her side. Halsey was laying across the doorway to the bedroom, puffing away quietly in his sleep so he was sure whatever woke him wasn't anything worth worrying about. He tried to relax his mind by reveling in the warmth of her body pressed against his side and tried to memorize the feel of it. It might only be a two week trip, but he was sure it was going to feel like forever. What if once they were apart she realized that she could have this baby all alone and didn't really need him? What if she was happier when he was away? If Slattery's wife had given up on waiting for him to be home when they had three kids together, it could happen to anyone. No, he tamped down his insecurity with the feel of her warm skin against his side and her breaths fanning over his bare arm. There were a lot of things to be unsure of now, but he assured himself that Kara wasn't one of them.

As he began to drift off to sleep again, his arm began to develop a damp itch where she rested on it. He smiled to himself, thinking she was so soundly asleep that she was drooling only to be proven wrong when a loud sniff broke the silence. "Kara?" He wrapped his other arm around her and hugged her from behind. "What's the matter."

She didn't answer at first but he could feel from the tension in her body that she was indeed awake and hearing him. Finally with a sigh she rolled his way a little. "I was doing my crying now. You know, so I wouldn't do it down at the parking lot tomorrow."

"What?" he was sure he'd heard her wrong. For one thing, he'd never known anyone who could fight their emotions the way she could. And secondly, why would she be crying?

She was attempting to roll over but the six pillows stacked around her made it difficult and her soft voice was alternately muffled and clear as she pulled them out and tossed them on the floor. "You know, to get myself ready. If I get it all out now, I'll come to terms, and tomorrow I'll be professional about this. I have to do it. I cry at the drop of a hat these days. Yesterday a 10 month old toilet paper ad at the bus stop on the corner set me off!"

Danny reached for her again and pulled her close. He would have liked to pull her onto his chest but between her taut belly and sore breasts it wouldn't have worked so he settled for laying side by side. He ran a thumb over the silky skin over one cheek bone, clearing away her tears. "You should cry when and where you want to. No one would think anything other than that you're a deeply caring person."

She nodded and turned her face into his hand. "I know. But I didn't want you to go away thinking I was sad. If you hadn't woken up, you would have seen me wave you off with a smile and probably felt better about the whole thing." She sniffed adorably. "Now you'll be worried and distracted and that's exactly counter to my purposes.

"Counter to your purposes?"

"I want you to come home alive, duh. The fewer the distractions the better, I think." The hand in the small of his back, pulling him tighter against where their legs were scissored together was distraction enough he thought.

"No matter what, coming home alive will be on the top of my list. It always is, but even more so now that I have you and Flutter." He punctuated his words with gentle kisses to her forehead, eyelids, and the tip of her nose. "Can I confess something to you before I go?"

"Mhum." Her small hands began slowly running up and down his back, tumbling over the bumps of his spine, a move he knew that she knew he loved.

"I was briefly worried that you didn't care that I was going away last night at dinner. You seemed so cheerful and relaxed and I was ready to cry in my soup." He felt foolish now, but the strange sort of jealous moroseness had been pretty intense at the time.

He ducked his head as she laughed softly, causing their joined cores to slide against each other in soft invitation. He hoped she knew the need she was building in him because sex had been an iffy thing lately between her nausea and tender breasts, not to mention the mood swings and sleep interruptions. Her breath caught a little as she felt him growing hard against her and he smiled into the dark. Ah-ha! she knew.

"Only briefly worried? What stopped you from worrying too much?"

"This." He rocked into her a little, very slowly and deliberately. "I was going to wake you up in a few hours and remind you what you like about me."

She laughed heartily that time, her husky voice egging him on. "That's not the only thing I like about you, but yeah, I'll take that reminder to tide me over. Just remember though, this has to last two weeks so it ought to be epic." Her hands had slid all the way to his shoulders now and she pulled him in for the first of many searing kisses that morning. "I'll need some reassurances that you're too spent to even think about another woman for two weeks."

"You mean like that leggy blond who's always dropping cans of vegetables on the ground and then bending to pick them up when I walk by the market?

She pinched him hard. "Ha ha. It could be a dreamy few weeks for me too. I heard from Miss Kitty that some men really dig pregnant women." She sighed when he began undoing the buttons on her nightshirt one at a time so he could kiss the space in between. "Plus, I'll be here with her and the guy in the mayor's office who always leaves his jacket unzipped over his tight fitting t-shirt. That guy has it going on. You know, he might even be able to take you in a fight. Do you think your memory you can compete with that?"

He slid his own hands into the waistband of her pajama pants to grip her hips firmly and pull himself into her. "If that's a challenge, I accept."


	7. Chapter 7 - Get Ready

Please don't think I'm trashing Detroit. I love the D. But downtown in midwinter is pretty bleak. There's already a high proportion of concrete to people.

**Get Ready, Rare Earth**

Danny swung the truck he was driving in a wide arch before coming to a stop perpendicular to the left lane of the highway and nearly touching the bumper of the truck in front of him. He watched Burk pull up behind, followed by Wolf, effectively blocking the approach in the eastbound lanes. He looked back toward Tex, Betty, and Michener sitting in the back seat. "Sit tight Sir. We're going to investigate the conditions first." He left the car running in case they needed a quick escape and to provide heat. Sargent Simpson-Slattery joined him at the front of the truck and handed over a set of binoculars. "Looks clear to me." Danny nodded. Tiny snowflakes were spitting from the sky but there wasn't enough accumulation on the road to see if anyone had been there. Still, it had been surprisingly easy to navigate the toll and customs booths, all their gates locked in the open position, weak January light shining through the plexiglass windows of the booths, making him wary of who could be watching.

When he'd asked for a forecast Kara had sighed. "Have you ever been to Detroit in January? Think back to last summer but replace the beautiful mountain scenery with abandoned buildings and the sunshine with a flat gray sky. Oh and throw in a strong sense of human failure. And that was before the Red Flu." He pulled the Nathan James scarf she'd sewn him for a Christmas-in-July present up over his chin and let his breath begin to warm it against the biting January wind. She was right. Detroit was as depressing as she'd predicted. There were no signs of life at all. It appeared that there had either been no survivors here or what survivors there were had fled for the suburbs.

He gave the thumbs up and car doors began slamming open and shut behind him. Both Michener and the Royal emissary wanted a secure location, but rather than fight about which country should host, Michener had suggested they meet at the border. Initially he'd wanted to meet on the Ambassador Bridge, but ultimately he gave in to Danny's insistence that it wasn't a very defensible location. Simpson was the one that had suggested the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. Danny was already impressed by the Marpat clad young man next to him. He was a quick thinker and he knew how to design and implement his ideas too. Plus he felt sympathetic for the kid's situation with Commander Slattery.

Wolf scaled a retaining wall to provide cover from above while Burk, Simpson, and two of Simpson's team hustled under the overhanging concrete portico to inspect the hastily built barriers just inside the entrance to the tunnel. "Looks like the temporary wall that Border Security put up has held." Burk called out. He waved a hand to indicate the small drifts at the base of the wall. "Can't say no one's been here, but no one's been here today."

It was go time. Danny issued rapid orders. "Mason, send the signal to our contact on the other side that we're about to enter. Miller, Cruz on the left, Goodwin, and Findley on the right." His heart pounded in his chest but he tamped down his anxiety and maintained what he hoped was a confident expression. While he'd often commanded small teams in the field, this was the first time he'd lead such a large group into potentially dangerous circumstances. And it didn't help his nerves that they had the President and a large contingent of civilians in tow to boot.

Simpson was attaching a set of small charges to the concrete and wood barrier. "Will those be enough?" Danny watched as the young man carefully spaced the charges and attached each one to a lead wire. "I want to breech the wall without attracting too much attention, but that doesn't look like nearly enough firepower."

Simpson raised a brow at Danny. "Believe me Sir, this is more than enough." He traced a finger along the mortar between two cinder-blocks to the juncture of the temporary wall and the side of the tunnel. "All we have to do is take advantage of the weak bond between the gunnite that they used to coat the tunnel wall and the lime based mortar between these blocks. If we crack the mortar, we can quickly pull blocks out of the way and make ourselves a door over here against the side, where it is least obvious."

Specialist Goodwin rolled her eyes. "You don't know what you just did Sir. The Sarge will talk your ear off about concrete characteristics if you let him. It's his one true love, after Riley, of course."

Danny chuckled. "Well I'm glad we found your platoon. I would have just slapped a hunk of plastique on it, took cover, and hoped we didn't cave in the entire entrance."

Garth finished his handiwork by wrapping the small wires into a neat bundle and clipping them to the end of a remote detonator. He held the small controller out to Danny. "I recommend a twelve foot clearance zone. Would you like to do the honors Sir?"

"Nope, you should get to enjoy the satisfaction I think." Danny nodded to the group. "Alright clear back." He tapped his com. "Tex we're about to blast. Just in case, have the President below the windows." He backed away to stand by the hood of the truck and the rest followed suit.

"On three." Simpson counted down and tapped the button. A tiny pop sounded and a puff of dust and pebbles sprayed the road surface in front of them.

"What happened?" Danny craned his neck to see around the retaining wall at the entrance to the cave. They didn't have much time to do this again and now they had used part of their explosives allotment.

"I just made you a door with minimal noise, as ordered." Simpson grinned back. He held up a handful of leftover wire and explosive. "In your report, don't forget to tell my dearest father-in-law how I was on time and under budget."

They approached the wall and Danny noticed a large crack outlining a space about six feet tall and three feet wide. Simpson nodded to Goodwin and she joined him at the wall, holding up a large metal chisel and a crowbar. Together they wedged the the blocks free and pushed the section of separated wall inward like a door swinging open.

Burk grinned at Garth. "Consider me impressed."

"Considered me thoroughly schooled in the art of wall breaching!" Danny high fived Garth. "Burk, you take Tex and Betty's six when they bring Mittens over. Simpson and I will take left and right point with Cruz in the middle on the thermal. Goodwin and Findley, I want you on the flanks, Tex and POTUS in the middle with the civilians, and Wolf and Miller, you'll follow about 30 yards behind." They readied equipment and when everyone had confirmed their preparation he radioed Tex. "We're going to step inside, do a 250 yard sweep. Then we'll bring you in."

He stepped into the black hole. The air was cool inside of the tunnel but after the biting wind the stillness was a relief for the exposed skin of his cheeks. They fanned out quickly and paused to switch on their goggles. A quick sweep showed Danny that this part of the tunnel was currently deserted. Cruz swept the space with his thermal camera. "All clear."

Findley and Goodwin took their places by the walls of the tunnel and the forward group began moving inward. The tunnel was completely empty. The cars had been excluded and the border closed early on, which gave the place an oddly expectant feel, as if a car was going to come barreling toward them at any moment. The only vehicle he could see was the tunnel bus, parked up against the interior wall. The white subway tile that lined the tunnel glowed brightly in the nightvision goggles leaving the less reflective sides of the bus a dark hole. Only the glowing rectangles caused by the reflective windows helped give it away. Danny studied the area for a moment before deciding the bus was empty. He tapped his com. "Tex, Burk, bring him in. Wolf and Miller, close that door after you enter. Mason, Granderson, there's a bus about 100 yards in. I want you to take the radio in there and stay dark unless we have visitors."

"Aye sir." The two crept toward the bus. "Maple party has confirmed that they are headed our way as well." Alicia gave him a thumbs up as she and Mason disappeared inside.

He began slowly walking forward. Behind him he heard the President, Tex, Burk, and Betty putting on their headgear. "I always wondered what this looked like." Michener exclaimed. Danny glanced over his shoulder to see him bending to allow Tex to adjust the eyepieces. After Michener's dark moments the day before, he'd been in unusually cheerful spirits today. One of the leaders among the civilians, an accountant named Paul, hefted the case of doses and information on the cure. Two others crowded near Burk, clearly uncomfortable with the danger.

"OK. It looks good. We're going to go slow. We have about a half mile walk to the border. We need to keep eyes and ears open."

They moved forward at a snail's pace for a few minutes. No matter how quiet they tried to be, there were no other sounds to interrupt the soft pats of their footfalls or the rustle of clothing. The pavement sloped down steeply at first but after about 250 yards the gradient gentled. Danny was acutely aware that they were under water now. Under a river that carried the icey outflow of the upper Great Lakes over a tunnel that hadn't been maintained in nearly six months. He couldn't help but glance at the ceiling periodically.

After about five minutes he began to hear the faint sounds of the approaching party. There was an odd thumping noise along with the regular footsteps that he couldn't quite place. He glanced over at Cruz doing the thermal scans. "Anything yet?"

"Only a marginal increase in background." But a few steps further though Cruz stopped again. "Sir, you'll never believe this!" he whispered.

Danny stepped close to view the screen and almost burst out laughing when he saw the image that was emerging. It was horses! They must have done something to dampen their hooves. No sooner had he recognized they were in sight than red laser tracks appeared on himself, Cruz, and Garth.

He spoke softly into his com. "Mason, give the identification signal." He'd guess they were still about 200 meters away, the dim lights of their flashlights only barely penetrating the darkness. But in the echoing emptiness of the tunnel he could hear a low murmur of voices and the halting of the other party.

A second later Mason replied. "It's Maple Leaf Sir. They confirm contact. They are sending an unarmed man to the border for confirmation and then will stand down."

"Copy." Danny handed his weapon off to Simpson and then signaled to Wolf to cover him from behind while he approached the border. He strode forward with a quick, confident stride even though his heart was pounding. As soon as he started forward, a man detached itself from the facing group as well. As the man approached he realized that the steady bright spot on the man's chest was surely mirrored on his own, their shooter likely had similar training to Wolf's and was no doubt perfectly capable of raising his aim the two inches it would take to shoot him in the neck. His only satisfaction was in seeing Wolf's bead solidly in place on the other man as he approached.

As they grew close he could see that the man was wearing a mountie's dress uniform rather than combat garb and he suddenly felt somewhat shabby in his dirty workwear. Danny stopped where the flags painted on the side of the tunnel depicted the international boundary. He squared his shoulders, took a breath, and stuck his hand out. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

The man's hand trembled as he extended it. "You are immune?"

Danny clasped the man's hand. Emotion flooding him as he felt the weight of the moment. "I am vaccinated and you and all of Canada will be soon." Of course, they assumed the contagious vaccine was spreading across the continent already, but getting it into the hands of officials who could speed it's transmission and make sure it got to out of the way places was significant too.

"I am so glad we have this chance for our countries to work together for our new future then. I am Sergeant Hugh Mulroney of the RCMP O Division." The man let go of Danny's hand. "We have brought lights, have you Lieutenant?"

"I'm afraid not." They hadn't even thought of it. He peered around the man to see that one of the horses appeared to be towing the kind of lights used for nightime road construction.

"No matter, we have enough. Shall we turn them on?"

Danny called back to his group, not wanting them to be blinded when the lights came on. "Lights coming on!"

As they took off their headgear and the lights warmed up he quickly surveyed the Canadian contingent. There were nine men in red coats and three horses. He didn't see anyone who looked like a representative of the crown at first. But as the lights began to increase in power he realized that two men standing in the shadow of a horse near the back of the group wore the more functional red parkas of the Canadian Rangers. As the lights reached full strength took in the insignia and nametags. It was not Prince Harry as they had expected but rather William. His long face was drawn and heavy dark circles ringed his eyes.

Sergeant Mulroney commanded his attention again. "His Royal Highness, King William of Canada, also known as Major Windsor, would like to formally invite the President of the United States and his contingent into Canadian territory. The man waved a hand to indicate where three men were rapidly assembling two camp chairs and a table. "We humbly apologize that we cannot offer finer accommodations but we are very appreciative of the security of the site you suggested." Danny felt Michener and Tex step up beside him. Across the way Prince...no King William was doing the same.

"The United States of America joyously accepts your invitation." Michener was about to step across when he paused. "Now I know what we forgot. I do believe we should document this occasion. Is anyone good with a camera?" William chuckled nervously and his men followed suit. Danny could see that the stress of the last few months had taken its toll on the young leader. The top of his head was completely bald now and his face had a heavy somberness to it that reminded Danny of the Queen, or rather late Queen.

"Ah, Cruz is pretty good." Danny found his voice. "Do you have that same phone you took the wedding pictures with you?"

Cruz fumbled in his pockets a moment and produced a phone. "They might be a little washed out by the bright lights but I'll at least get it in focus." He backed up along the line. "Tex man, back up."

"Can't." Tex quipped. "Lieutenant Green said I should stick to the President like glue but Commander Foster-Green said I better have the lucky lieutenant's six at all times or my next assignment would be diaper duty."

The U.S. side laughed and Sergeant Mulrouny's gaze swept to Danny. "Your wife I presume?"

"You presume correct. Knock it off Tex or I'll tell her you endangered my chances of getting back out of Detroit unnoticed." Tex gave a mock salute as he stepped out of the camera's view. The President and King both turned to smile as they shook hands across the line. Then William was ushering Michener to the chairs and Cruz snapped a few more photos as they did so.

"Well I'll say this." William turned one of the camp chairs to face Michener more face to face. "I never thought I'd be here, doing this."

Michener's face fell in a frown. "I suppose this does mean your Grandmother, and your father too have passed? We had intel that they were in London and Scotland respectively. Let me express my heartfelt sympathy." He met the younger man's eyes.

William nodded. "Well my grandmother anyways. She survived the first wave in London but fell in the second. The last contact I had from my father was in September." His voice broke a bit. "After the Russians nuked France. My father said they were safe, but then we stopped receiving any contact." He took a deep breath. "But these have been extraordinarily hard times for everyone. I actually meant to jest about the first time I've taken a meeting at 75 feet underwater."

The tension was broken. Michener waved forward the civilians. "We are here today because a scientist by the name of Dr. Rachel Scott, one of your subjects in fact, convinced the CDC and WHO that it was possible to develop a vaccine for the Red Flu. Without her work I doubt many of us would be here today. Lieutenant Green and his men ensured her safety first in the Arctic and then as we brought the cure to the United States. Perhaps her greatest scientific achievement was in creating a contagious form of the vaccine and cure. I am no longer contagious, but most of these individuals have been recently inoculated. Three of them are Canadian citizens who have asked to help begin the chain of transmission. We may not have brought light but we have brought hot coffee. I propose we share a toast to our future as neighbors and in doing so, exchange the cure."

Paul held up the yellow case he was case he was carrying. "I also have injectable doses, culture to propagate the vaccine, and instructions here to pass on to the PHAC." They quickly extracted thermoses and cups from their packs and began serving. "All it takes is getting close to someone to exchange the cure. A handshake, a sip from the same cup, or a kiss on the cheek ought to do it."

King William looked alarmed as he leaned a little further back from everyone. "You all have had this vaccine? It is effective, even after being passed from person to person?" Danny sighed. It wouldn't be the first time they had to go through all the details on safety and what not to convince someone it was safe. "Is it safe for everyone, even ah, children?" William looked over his shoulder back the way he came into the darkness of the tunnel, his face creasing in indecision.

Paul set the case on the ground next to the small table. "I assure you, by now hundreds of thousands in the US have received doses. So far there have been no reports of reactions or problems."

William ran a hand over his balding scalp. "Does it always work? What about for pregnant women? Do we know if it causes problems, birth defects, miscarriages, that kind of thing?" Danny recognized the look of wild panic on William's face. It was the same one he'd probably had when Chandler had come out to him on the deck during the trials to tell him Kara was pregnant.

He looked the young king in the eye. "So far it has been fine. My wife was part of the trial for the vaccine and didn't know she was pregnant at the time. Both she and our baby are fine now. The baby will be born immune."

Garth chimed in. "Mine too. We were scared about what would happen too but she got the cure 3 days ago and so far, it's been fine. You know how deadly the disease is. It's too risky to leave anyone out."

William looked between the two men. He pressed his lips together firmly as he debated internally. Finally he nodded to one of the men behind him. "Radio the Duchess please."

Across the road, Danny saw Garth's eyes bug. "Oh God, Riley is going to go nuts when she hears I got to meet both of the Royal couple. I'll never hear the end of it."

Danny was unsure whether to laugh until, now visibly relaxed, Will threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Well then we better be sure to get you a picture to take back to her."

Michener smiled mildly and Danny was reminded of his somber evening yesterday. In many ways the President was the most alone of all of them. Tex must have noted too because pulled a flask from his jacket pocket and drawled, "Well, I for one would like to share a drink with the President and the King. Make sure you get a picture of this Cruz." He placed the flask on the table and stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you William." Tex proved to be the social lubricant they needed and soon they got down to the business of sharing drinks and photos.

William promised the three Canadian citizens that he had some ideas for how to get them started before they lost contagiousness. "We started getting the word out as soon as we knew the meeting would happen. Many people evacuated to rural areas as the flu hit in places like Toronto so we wanted them to come back, to concentrate so the vaccine could be spread efficiently. But Canada is a large country and parts of it were hard to reach as it was."

Danny's ears picked up when he heard the steady thump of another horse's wrapped hooves. Two more horses emerged out of the gloom. A woman in a white parka with a dark fur lined hood expertly rode one with a small boy sleeping in her lap while another RCMP man rode the other, close behind her. The Duchess's eyes went straight to William and she sat up straighter in the saddle when he detached himself from the gaggle of men and come assist her. He carefully lifted the boy and held him, dropping his head to smell his hair, a tear showing in the corner of his eye. Then after Kate dismounted he waved her over to the group and made introductions.

After shaking hands with the President she turned her eyes on Danny. "I want to personally thank you and your men for bringing the cure to us. The entire world is grateful for the dangerous mission undertaken by the Nathan James. I am so sad that we have lost Dr. Scott, and I want you to know that when the Commonwealth is back on its feet, I will personally take on the task of creating an appropriate memorial for her."

"Thank you, your.." After years of knowing precisely what title to use in almost every situation he was at a loss.

Kate's wide smile creased her face. "Where is a protocol droid when we need one!" she quipped. "Your Grace will do." She reached out and grasped his hand in her smaller one and pulled him toward her with surprising strength. "Now handsome, pass me that cure with a kiss! George and I have been isolated for 4 months to protect him in case anything happened to Wills and I intend to make my husband thoroughly jealous before we get to go home together!" She giggled and pressed her lips to Danny's. He pulled back but she followed him, finally breaking off with a smacking squeak.

Danny felt his face flame. "Uh, I uh..."

"Oh ho ho. I got a picture of that for the Commander. She's going to love it!" Cruz pumped his fist while the other men hooted and whistled.

Paul broke in. "I'm afraid Lieutenant Green is not actually contagious anymore, having been part of the original group to get the cure. But anyone who was sharing drinks just now will certainly be able to pass on the cure."

The three Canadian citizens they had brought along raised their hands quickly. "I am still contagious."

"I'd be glad to kiss you now."

"Well, eh, should we go at it then?"

The Duchess blushed a lovely shade of pink and brushed her hair back, her hands fluttering self consciously. "Oh my, so sorry Lieutenant Green."

Michener held his arms out to William, one brow raised in question. "George is it?"

"Indeed." The king carefully passed the sleeping boy over. Then with a barely restrained grin he bowed toward his wife. "Might I have the honor darling?"

She smiled back at him and bowed equally formally. "Oh course Your Grace." The King leaned in from the waist to gently place his lips against hers then straightened, clearing his throat. "You should be safe now."

Danny understood the reason why they were so formal in public but for goodness sakes! He didn't care if he was in uniform or not. If he was kissing his wife for the first time in weeks he wouldn't stop to ask her permission!

The royal couple stepped apart and both turned to reach for George. Their hands met as they reached out and Catherine's light laugh sounded like bells in the hollow highway tunnel. "Oh bloody hell." cursed William. Before anyone had a chance to react he slipped an arm around her slender waist and pulled her flush to his body. Danny realized that she looked tall in photos because she typically wore heels, but now she looked tiny against her husband's height. You'd have thought the tunnel was filled with teenage girls, not fully grown men at their collective sigh. Placing her back on her feet, William tugged the hem of his uniform jacket down while he grinned sheepishly at his wife. "Will that tide you over?"

She kissed his cheek and hugged him tightly. "It will do nicely." She muttered into his collar. Stepping back she looked around at their audience. "Now I suppose this meeting should get on to business?"

"I suppose." William motioned to Paul to hand over George again and then sat at the camp table hugging him to his chest.

"That kid really knows how to sleep!" Garth exclaimed. "Is that normal?"

As she dragged a chair over for herself, Kate smiled at Garth. "If you're lucky! He's been cutting a tooth and the poor thing hasn't slept well at night."

Michener took his seat and pulled out a sheet of paper with a short list on it. "I figured this meeting would need to be quick and we have much to discuss." They quickly agreed to temporarily open the borders. "We aren't organized enough to field border security and we know people are crossing in the upper plains and by sea anyways." Michener pointed out.

Danny took his coffee to the edge of the road and sat on the concrete berm that lined the side. Soon everyone was mingling together. "I am so glad you guys brought coffee." One of the RCMP guys was saying to Wolf. "I know everyone thinks Canada is a frozen wasteland, but I'm from British Colombia and I'm not cut out for snow and this bitter wind."

Another man grinned. "Eh? I'm from Northern Manitoba and I'm not cut out for it either." There was quite a bit of laughter which got them all chatting about where they were from and how they had ended up escorting their specific leaders. Danny learned that in the early days of the outbreak these men had volunteered to go into deep isolation with William and his family. They were all single, career servicemen.

"Must be tough leaving your families behind." A Mountie named Bill asked Burk.

"Actually, out of this crew I think Green and Simpson are the only two that that really have families, and both of those are sort of ah..."

"It's OK Carlton." Danny shook his head. "You can call it accidental."

The story of how Danny and Kara became attached entertained them all for a few minutes and then Specialist Goodwin had them all rolling in laughter with her description of Commander Slattery's discover of Sergeant Simpson-Slattery.

Over at the camp table William proposed that the CAF would take over spreading the cure to the countries of the Commonwealth. "We're already requesting that any officers that are able report to Cornwall for assignment. I've also got an expeditionary team preparing to go to one of my facilities in Africa and get to work there as well."

Michener nodded. "We were very hopeful that you would be able to aid in this matter." His brow creased and he closed his eyes momentarily. "Officially, it is a matter of international stability. The faster we get the cure distributed, the quicker we can re-establish international relationships. Unofficially, we just want to save more people."

"I understand." William looked over to his wife. "I am so eternally grateful that the vaccine and cure were found. Things were a little bleak for a while." They discussed several logistics issues, including the lack of a patent for the vaccine. "If I've learned anything these last few months, it's that no amount of money can make you invulnerable. whatever the US wants to charge to license it, the crown will pay. Even if it bankrupts me."

Michener smiled. "If you knew Rachel Scott you'd know that she would have given away her last penny to help someone. We want this to remain free for everyone. The bigger hurdle is going to be figuring out how to mass produce and distribute a product all over the world."

Michener was explaining that he had learned from the drug manufacturing company people in Chicago that a key ingredient to their process was a special media including a scaffolding molecule manufactured in Albequerque, NM. "Dr. Scott had enough to make several thousand doses, but we're already 50% through her supply. We were hopeful a Canadian company might be able to produce the media."

William groaned. "Damn!" He slammed his hand on the little table, making the coffee cups rattle. "I was going to tell you essentially the same thing. I consulted with people at the HPAC and they indicated that getting the precursor molecules was a key step toward rapid production. They are trying to work on finding out if any of our Canadian companies or even university researchers made a similar product, but asking you if you had any contact with the lab in Albuquerque was high on their list of priorities for this meeting."

Michener closed his eyes a moment. "I know from your letter that you are aware of the situation with the MCF in the southwest of our country. Unfortunately my hands are somewhat tied. But, we will have to go to plan B, or C, or D..." Michener sipped his coffee. "For now, the contagious cure will spread and we can continue to prioritize doses for the most populated areas to get the chains of transmission started."

"If that's plan B, what's plan C?" William asked

Michener smoothed a palm down his face. "We've got to get that material. Either we get that facility in Albuquerque up and running or we get the formula and equipment we need and start making it elsewhere."

"But Albuquerque is deep in MCF territory. Are you considering negotiating with them?"

"I don't know yet." Michener pursed his lips and dropped his head to his chest. "I have no congress so I really can't declare war. If I decide to take some other kind of action I have no funds to do it with. Right now I am focusing on getting the cure out to all of our states. I can defend clashing with anyone who tries to prevent the spread of the cure. But I can't be seen as the guy who started a war on our own soil."

"Ah yes. And now we get to the reason I first contacted you." William sat up and leaned over the table hawkishly. "I have to make some decisions about how to deal with the quote 'government' in El Paso. They have petitioned me for diplomatic recognition twice now. I can only assume they are doing the same to any other known world leaders."

Michener's brow furrowed. "I must confess, Canada is the only other country we have had any contact with so far." Danny had been listening to the exchange quietly, letting the conversation of the other men swirl around him. He noticed the moment the tone changed. It looked like Wills took after his grandmother. He might be all polite and jolly friendliness on the surface, but underneath lived a shrewd politician after all. Michener might have a long career of political wheeling and dealing under his belt, but very little of it had been in the public sphere, and it showed.

Wills sighed and set down his coffee mug with a distinct clink on the table top. He waved to where Specialist Goodwin and Sergeant Mulroney were discussing why they were using horses as much as possible since Quebecois Separatists had damaged a major fuel pipeline. "Please, can you bring the blue folder and the map?" Danny noticed how polite Wills always was. It was a trait he shared with Michener. "Thank you Sergeant." He accepted a rolled map and used the coffee mugs and lantern on the table to hold it open.


	8. Chapter 8

I wrote this several months ago so it is ironic that it came time to post today when these issues are in our news as we speak. Of course, this is a fictitious drama, based entirely out of the alternative universe that I made up that in my own head, not the real life actions of world leaders. But don't let that get in the way of a good story...which is that trade partnerships are a form of economic warfare. And just like one country could not have won the Battle of the Atlantic alone, neither can one country exist in isolation. Economics is about give and take and if you rely too much of one or the other, pretty soon you are out of the game.

**My Little Basquiat, Cowboy Junkies**

Wills sighed and set down his coffee mug with a distinct clink on the table top. He waved to Sergeant Mulroney. "Please, can you bring the blue folder and the map?" Danny noticed how polite Wills always was. It was a trait he shared with Michener. "Thank you Sergeant." He accepted a rolled map and used the coffee mugs and lantern on the table to hold it open. Danny saw that it showed all of North America.

"Here's the deal." Wills stood to lean over the table. He swiped a finger over the territory encompassing the MCF. "Under NAFTA, Canada and the US have very few tariffs or trade restrictions. Canada is a net exporter of agricultural goods, especially produce and dairy, to the US while the US in turn is a net exporter of meat and corn to Mexico. Canada has a restriction on meat importation from the US but not Mexico." He used a pen to circle two places on the western border. He pulled over another map. "Here are the freight lines in North America. As you can see, the system was designed to bring goods to ports on the Mississippi and the coasts but not north-south between Canada and Mexico. So historically we've had little trade with Mexico."

"When the MCF contacted me they didn't just ask me to recognize them as a sovereign country. They also reminded me that they are not part of NAFTA and therefore can freely assign tariffs as they see fit. Canada has vast tracts of farm acreage producing corns in the center of the country and a large cattle industry in the west. We are a net exporter of both. The majority of our corns go to the cattle industry either in the US or western Canada. After that, the excess grain is mostly traded to Mexico. If we don't have buyers next summer we'll have an economic disaster."

Michener dropped his head to the table and groaned. "And most of the cattle ranching in the US is now in the MCF territory which will need to import grain to sustain itself."

"Exactly. So Presidente Himenez has informed me that he'd like to impose heavy tariffs on US produced grain thereby making it preferable for his ranchers to rely on local supplies and Canadian imports. In short, he's offering to shift the economic disaster from Canada to the remaining US in exchange for international recognition of his administration."

"So that's why they took Kansas." Michener still had his face on his desk. "We've been trying to figure out what was so valuable about Kansas because it's the only state they are claiming that doesn't really have a strong Mexican-American contingent to its current population. I can't believe we didn't see that."

William sighed and tapped the map again with his fingers. "Right, well, economic geography is kind of my thing..Yes." He blushed a little. "They are trying to re-create a ranching based economy but they want to sell cattle at the modern grain fattened prices. In some ways, looking at the history of the region and the socio-economic welfare of the people that are part of the movement, it isn't surprising. These are the same people who would have supported separation before. And although it's been couched in terms of ethnic pride, it's really about economics, plain and simple. The people who used to make a decent living as ranch and farm laborers are now losing more and more to landowners and large agribusiness. Himenez is just giving them an outlet for the anger they already have."

"So are you saying that we should let them go? Or promise them the same things that Himenez has?"

The King shook his head. "No, it's an empty promise. People forget how much the global economy has improved their quality of life. Regional economies are great if you have everything you need and want inside your region. If all you want is food and shelter that's fine. But now a days people want technology...cars, TVs, computers, smartphones. They might say they can do without it, but they forget that would also mean not getting an MRI when their kid has cancer; not talking daily with their mom who lives across the country; not knowing if the water they drink is really clean. The humanitarian in me knows that we will all benefit from re-establishing global trade, especially if we think carefully about how to make the system more equitable going forward. Himenez's policies might make things better in the short term, but over the long haul the citizens of the MCF will be disappointed when they find that they don't have the means to make the things they want at a reasonable price."

Michener lifted his head and leveled an eye on the King. "You're not the disinterested figure head I was expecting." He tilted his head to the side, considering his words for a moment. "I've never been interested in rivalries and political maneuvering. I haven't prepared all my life to lead either. But I can see that you are potentially a very powerful ally so I will be straight with you. My hands are tied. Our system is the opposite of yours. You grant power to parliament while I beg mine from congress. Without a congress I cannot declare war on the MCF. But without a congress I also cannot accept their succession."

"So you're going to sit by while they dismantle what's left of your country? Accept the remains and go on your way. Long live what's left of the US and all that?" William narrowed his eyes on Michener, challenging him to respond.

"No." Michener looked off into the darkness of the tunnel in front of him for a moment. Then his gaze swung to the men sitting along the curb. He briefly met Danny's eyes and Danny saw the torture there. After their adventure last night, Danny realized that Michener liked to think on things for a long time before he revealed his take. He might not have said anything yet, but he had probably been chewing on whatever he was going to say for this entire trip. Declaring war would probably mean leaving Kara again, and soon the baby too. He wouldn't want to go, not the way he used to. But it was his job and damnit, he wanted the country they knew and loved back. Sure it wasn't perfect, but the states were better together than as separate entities, weren't they? Michener's gravelly response broke him out of his reverie. "No. I'm going to break them them before it comes to that. It is only January. Can you hold them off at least until we can get a congress together?"

"Not exactly." William leaned back in his chair and covered his eyes with one arm. "They are eager for international recognition because that gives them legitimacy and helps them establish themselves as trade partners. As soon as the cure begins spreading, there's going to be a scramble for new allies. Old power blocks are going to be disrupted and new ones formed. But I think we can take advantage of that, to help both of our countries."

"Go ahead."

William leaned over the table, his long form casting a shadow over the map. "The thing with Canada is that our season is late. So, even if we make an agreement with the MCF now, we can't ship them anything until we can begin haying in May or early June. Between fuel shortages and the disruption of the fall harvest, I have the impression that these western ranchers have pretty much had to rely on local supplies instead of shipments of grain. Whatever they have stored must be used up or getting low already."

The tense furrow that had formed on Michener's brow when William mentioned making an agreement now relaxed. "So you're saying you'll play the statesman and appear to play ball as they realize how much they need the more southern grain suppliers and in the meantime I can work on taking down their regime? I like it." He steepled his fingers and considered for a moment. "They will of course use your acknowledgment to open other doors internationally."

William returned a hawkish grin. "Ah, but here's the piece de resistance. My advisor's tell me that beef that's finished on hay and old grass has an unpleasant taste. Their hands are tied too. They need at least eight weeks of fresh grass or an influx of grain before they have a product to sell internationally. So they can shake all the hands they like, they won't be making any large scale trades until at least late June. Plus, I will be acting on behalf of all 20 member nations of the Commonwealth. That's going to leave a mark in their customer base."

"What about California?" Michener was nodding now, but Danny could see that he still wasn't ready to shake on it. "California isn't an agricultural economy."

William agreed. "That's the first state you need to peel off the MCF's territory. It will be a crippling loss because they will then have only their ports in Texas. They will lose access to the Pacific markets, to the largest population concentrations in the world."

They discussed the other tactics they could use to stall the MCF. In the end they decided that for now Michener had more military capacity and would take the lead on that front. William, meanwhile, would quietly begin the process of rebuilding international diplomatic relations. They were wrapping up and shaking hands when Danny's mic crackled in his ear.

"Sir, we've got company." Danny's breath stopped. He stepped back from the group and spoke quietly into his comm.

"Mason? Where, how many."

"Don't know. I just heard at least two vehicles pull up. So far no one has gotten out."

Danny weighed the benefit of having Mason and Alicia join them versus info about the size and number of potential foes.

"Make that 4 vehicles."

Danny motioned to Burk to join him as he asked Mason. "Can you tell if it's trucks or cars? How many?" He was reminded why Burk was one of the best. He didn't wait for orders, just motioned to Miller to follow him and jogged away into the dark.

"Shit!" Over the comm Danny heard Mason moving. "I hear boots but not doors so I'm going with trucks." He had to make the decision fast. Mason and Alicia were valuable, too important to let them be the first troops down.

"Abandon your position and hotfoot it down here. Burk and Miller are heading toward you. If you get trapped, go down flat on the left side and give me a three click status confirmation every minute."

"Aye sir." There was a shuffle in the background and he assumed Mason was lifting his pack and beginning to move.


	9. Chapter 9 - Don't Start Me to Talking

**Don't Start Me to Talking, Etta James**

Kara was tacking some maps up in Chandler's office for his afternoon meeting with the Sheriff about the river piracy problem when she heard the outer door crash open. "I think I've figured out how they are transmitting the messages over our system!" Val announced triumphantly. She peaked her head around the corner just in time to see her frown and ask Kat, who was using Kara's computer, "Where is Kara? I need to talk with Kara!"

Her stomach rumbled. She had been preparing to go to lunch and she had to suppress an annoyed eye roll at Val's urgency. She'd already figured out that Val only came up for air if she had something important to say or do. She stepped out into the main room. "Let's chat and then all go get lunch together. Flutter needs sustenance."

Kat shrugged and went back to her typing while Val followed Kara into Tom's office. She silently prayed that whatever Val had discovered would help them stop the transmissions. It had been two more days since Mike's update, and everyday that Danny was out there with a potential enemy giving away their location, she got wound tighter and tighter by her anxiety. She shut the doors while Val set the computer she was carrying on Tom's small conference table. The plastic shell was cut open and a few extra wires were attached to the processor card underneath. "What happened to your computer?" She dropped into Chandler's desk chair and sighed in appreciation as she sank into the supple leather. She probably shouldn't sit in the CNO's chair, but these days her back got sore if she stood up for any length of time and the previous owner of the office had left a luxurious computer chair behind.

"OK, so I was thinking that whoever encrypted the messages had to be inside the defense networks but there is no record of a passkey being used to hand the message off, like you'd have if multiple networks were involved. So I tried to trace the messages back to the earliest possible instance and isolate all the people logged on at that time." Val began talking excitedly. Kara felt lost after the first mention of a passkey but she nodded along, absently patting Flutter and hoping her growling stomach wasn't too loud. "And I still couldn't find any record of the message being transferred into the system from outside so I am sure now that we have a skilled agent in the midst." Even without Val's electronic trail, Kara had figured that must be the case too.

Val grabbed a clump of her reddish dreads and tossed them over her shoulder. "So I isolated the first satellite that carried the message and made records of every user from zero to five minutes before the message was sent. There are 100's of users on the network even now!" She grinned at Kara. "But I've narrowed the list down to about 90 users who were on during the times of all the messages!"

"90?" Kara found it hard to believe there were 90 users on the defense networks, never mind on a certain satellite. "Any names on the list that might be interesting to us?"

Val shook her head. "No, it doesn't work that way. I have 90 IP addresses. A few I can rule out because of the kinds of machines they are on and a few I can ID Some are so far outside our group that they couldn't possibly have any knowledge of the president's location. But the rest, they need to be combed one by one." She patted her odd looking computer triumphantly. "That's where this baby comes in."

Kara had no doubt Val was brilliant but she was also a little unpredictable. Her voice was wary when she asked. "What does it do?" Her stomach sounded with an embarrassingly loud gurgle. "Sorry, Flutter likes to eat on a schedule."

"Flutter huh? That's way more hippie-granola than I figured you and Green for. Then again, there are far fewer cues to that kind of thing when you're in uniform." Val flipped open the screen. "Well, I reverse engineered the login process so that when anyone attempts to send a message through our servers, a whole bunch of details are recorded that should allow us to narrow down their location. This will help us pick out the IP addresses that are in and around St. Louis and then we can reverse engineer those to narrow down the location further." She paused and met Kara's eyes.

"This is illegal, isn't it?"

Val shrugged. "Well, if you wanted to go through official channels, yeah, kind of." Kara had been afraid of that. "Do you want me to stop looking?"

She wished Tom was there to make the decision so she didn't have to. But she knew what he would say. "We do the right thing, whether the powers that be are watching or not." Val winced, but she also squared her jaw with determination. "What do we have to do to make it legal?"

"I don't know." Val warbled her head. "I never bothered to worry about whether my work was legal or not."

Kara wasn't surprised. And besides, that might be what made Val such a good asset. "OK then, suppose you were at the NSA. Then what would you do?"

Val scrunched her lips to the side for a moment. "I guess we'd ask a judge for a warrant or something?"

Kara nodded. "OK, I'm hiring you as our one woman NSA. I'll set up an emergency meeting with Tom and Judge Siskin for this afternoon. We need this info. I just don't want to get either of us tossed in jail for it."

Val turned the laptop back around again. "I kind of prefer to be an independent contractor." She met Kara's astonished gaze with a level stare. "Beyond the food and shelter I'm already getting, what else does this job offer include"

Alisha was right, Val was difficult just for the sake of being a pain in the ass. "Someday you'll get health care and retirement benefits, if you don't quit or get fired first.

Val pursed her lips, considering. "Alright, throw in back pay and you've got a deal. Oh, and I get to pick my own title."

Kara nodded. It wasn't like they had any other hacking experts hanging around. "Fine, I'll get an admin from the ship to draw up a contract. But in the meantime, can we get back to work?"

Val grinned, clearly pleased with herself. "Nothing I can do on that front until the judge grants the warrant. Actually, does this mean I should turn off this tracking devices I put on Alisha's gear then too?"

"What?" Kara thought for sure she'd heard her wrong. "You lojacked Lieutenant Granderson?"

Val wiggled her eyebrows. "I didn't want to worry about her. Worry makes you get wrinkles and go gray early." Yeah, didn't she know it! Kara fought the urge to run a finger over the lines at the corners of her own eyes. "I can tell you where they are, at least where she is, if you want to know."

Kara bit her lip. She did want to know. She desperately wanted to know how things had gone since Chicago. "What did you track? If it's her cell, that's probably illegal too." Please don't be her phone, please not her phone, she silently prayed.

"Ok, then let's say I put one on the portable comm kit she and Mason were using." Val looked inordinately pleased with herself. "When I was doing work to amplify the signal I just slipped it in there. Someone would really have to know what they were looking for to find it."

"Well,,,," curiosity got the best of her. "I suppose since that makes it tracking government equipment, it is ok. What do you know about their whereabouts since they left Chicago?"

"OK, last night and early this morning they were in Ann Arbor." Val grinned as she typed something into her computer. But then her grin turned to a frown. "But the radio hasn't moved in several pings." She typed furiously. "What the heck?"

"Do you think they found your device and removed it? Mason is trained in counter espionage techniques." Kara's heart beat was thudding in alarm but she refused to let herself be trapped into thinking the worst.

Val's brow knit in confusion. "I'm getting a more detailed…I don't..what would they be doing in the Detroit River? Shouldn't it be covered in ice?" She spun the computer around to face Kara. "That blue dot is the tracker. It's as accurate as a GPS so that location is definitely underwater."

The screen showed an orange-yellow outline of a map with a series of blue dots flagged with dates and times. Kara could see the path north from St. Louis to Chicago and then east toward Detroit. But the last several dots had all been in the same place. "I know why they were there." Kara didn't elaborate, even though she figured Val could hack her notes and find out what was really going on if she wanted to. "But they should have only been there for about an hour. Can you tall how long it has been?"

"Ah.." Val's fingers flew over the keys and the map was replaced by a table of data. "It only pings once every 90 minutes so it looks like they have been stationary somewhere between three hours to four and a half. Next ping isn't for over an hour."

Kara's stomach flip flopped. 3 or 4 hours as sitting ducks in a tunnel in a city where they had not been able to scout any kind of advance contact was not good. "I need to inform Tom right away."

Val slapped the laptop shut. "So there's a good reason for them to be in the middle of the river? Maybe they left the radio in the car during whatever it is they were doing?" At Kara's skeptical eyebrow she dropped the optimistic routine and opted for practical instead. "OK, you make your phone calls. But after this we need to go get lunch. I can hear that baby growling for food from the other side of the desk. Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't help distract you in your time of anxiety."

After Kara had filled in Tom and Judge Siskin they agreed to meet that afternoon. "Have Val come too." Tom instructed. "Who knows what kind of insight she'll have. As for the radio, until they contact us, we have to assume everything is going fine."

When Kara ducked her head and sighed he surprised her by pulling her into a quick hug. "Danny, Wolf, Tex, Burk..those guys know what they are doing. With Granderson, Cruz, Miller, and Mason there they have an all star team. They might have lost the radio, but I highly doubt they have lost the mission."

Back in her office Kara told Kat and Val, "I really don't know if I can eat now. I'm too worried about what might have gone wrong."

Val linked her their arms and tugged her toward the office door. "I'm sorry I told you about it then. But I insist that you come to the mess. You need to keep up your strength."

Kat stood and handed Kara's coat across the desk. "I could keep an eye out for a larger winter coat for you, if you'd like." She told Kara. "I'm taking the younger kids to get more clothes this afternoon."

Kara sighed as she tugged her regulation wool coat around her belly, knowing it wouldn't button anymore. "I suppose so. We've got at least six more weeks of winter and this one isn't going to cut it much longer."

A plume of musty air hit Kara in a wave as Val swung her gray tweed coat around her. "Holy crap your coat reeks. Are you high right now? Like did you just have a meeting with me, about potential national security threats while high?" Kat giggled behind her hand and Val's raised brows were completely unrepentant.

"Yeah, so? Weed calms me down. In my line of work, it's easy to get a little too high strung. I just had a few hits before I came in."

Kat held the door as they filed outside. "Hey can I get some of that? I think I know someone else who…"

"No!" Kara and Val replied in unison.

Kat tipped her head to the side. "Oh, so it's ok for her but not for me?"

Kara shook her head. "She's an adult so even if I don't understand or approve, it's her decision. You however are a minor and I have the greatest respect for your father so I will not be encouraging you to do anything illegal."

"You did give her a glass of wine at the wedding." Val pointed out, a half disguised smile tilting her lips.

Kara frowned. "Did I? It was just for the toast, good luck and all that." She waved a hand to dismiss it as an exceptional circumstance.

"But seriously kid," Val turned to face her more fully. "You'll have to find another source. I am almost out and despite the free market trading going on everyday now, I have yet to find a reliable supply. St. Louis is too far north and I think the supply routes from the west and south have been too deeply interrupted by this MCF group."

The women collected lunch items from the counter and took a table near the windows. Kara had a very sensible salad, bare chicken breast, and bowl of canned peaches. Val had a plate of fries smothered in gravy, a bag of fritos, and a plate piled with deserts. Kat had the chicken with fries and about a quarter cup of dressing to dip with. "You gotta eat more than that Kara. Live a little. Have some cake." Val pushed the dessert plate piled high with a slice of cake and several cookies across the dining table.

"Ha, I already feel the size of a house and I still have almost five months to go. I'll have this chicken salad now and when I'm hungry again in two hours I'll have a snack. As you heard earlier, Flutter lets me know when I need to eat. What you can't tell is that my stomach is about half the size it used to be." She began to cut her chicken. "So distract me ladies. Anything new in the gossip wire?"

She listened with half an ear as Kat and Val chattered about the news that had arrived earlier that week that Duluth Minnesota had achieved a 60% survival rate by imposing a strict quarantine very early. "Oh course, everyone is forgetting to count the thousands of people that left the area to look for family elsewhere and then died." Val pointed out, waving a fry on her fork as she talked.

"How do you know that?" Kat asked.

"Well, there are 12,473 cell phones with a Duluth area code that were used there the week before the quarantine went into effect that have since been used outside of the quarantine area. So I am guessing they let people out, but not in. Although most of those numbers went dark within 10 days of leaving the city." Val shrugged, oblivious to the other women's open mouthed stares as she chewed the fry. "Mmmm seriously Kara, at least have a few fries."

Kat put down her fork. "No seriously, how do you know that kind of thing? I want to learn to do what you do. It is so cool that you can just type some stuff and find out all that information."

"Seriously?" Val winked at Kara. "Can the NSA hire an intern?"

"No way!" Kara snitched a fry from Val's plate. "She's underage and I promised her father I'd keep an eye on her."

Kat snorted. "I don't need a babysitter. Half the time I am the babysitter you know."

Val wrinkled her nose. "Why are you doing that anyways? I hate babysitting." She shuddered in mock horror. "I'm not sure I could take it…unless you have the hots for one of them. Please tell me it's not the tall one with the red hair."

Kat laughed. "I don't have the hots for anyone. Why, are you jealous? While you're a bit older than us, you're pretty cute and Colin is a total pig so he'd probably go for you." Kara noticed her eyes darted over to the group of kids in their usual spot by the soda machines. Just then, the young man in question, Colin, was balancing a stack of oreo cookies on his nose to the great delight of the younger set.

Val and Kara exchanged a glance. "You know he's not my type, right?" Kat glanced back to Val with a furrow between her brows?

"Well he is a bit young for you. What about Cruz? He's a nice guy and I hear he's single. Or Wolf, if you like them a bit older?"

Kara and Val laughed in unison. Was she ever so young, Kara wondered. "Slowdown there Cher. I don't need a matchmaker. I already have my eye on someone more my age AND type."

"Ohhh, do tell!" Kat leaned in. "Who is he? Is he from the Navy or someone here in St. Louis?"

"Nope, you two have already learned enough about me for one day." Val refused, although she was trying to hide a smile. "Unless you want to trade secrets that is? Why don't you have a boyfriend..or girlfriend?"

Kat yawned. "My last boyfriend was a dud. I'm not interested in a new one. Besides, I have too much to do already." Kara noticed her eyes shot to the table of kids again.

Val frowned. "Those kids can take care of themselves. Seriously Kara, can't you see the poor girl is too overworked. Make her my intern and I'll make sure she gets enough down time."

Kara was about to protest again when Kat beat her to it. "I feel bad for them. You forget that only a month ago I thought I was an orphan. I'm 17 and it was still super scary for me. So I know those little kids need all the support they can get. Heck, I hadn't seen my dad for 3 years before he found me in Memphis so it's still kind of weird to think of him as the person in charge of me. I hardly know him."

"Your Dad's primary mission, the whole time we were on the ship, was to get back to Mississippi and find you, you know. He loves you very deeply." Kara thought about sharing her history with Kat, but when she looked up and saw Val's downcast eyes she thought better of it. For all her bluster and confidence, remembering the family she left to go out on that oil platform must be painful for her too.

"Oh, I know it. I am so glad he found me and brought me here." Kat stole a cookie from Val's stack. "I would love to learn more about what you do. My mo..ain priority is helping those kids right now, so it will have to wait." Kara was sure she was about to say something about her mother but she cut herself off. "Besides, I'm not that overworked. If you really want to help though, come shopping with me today."

Val wrinkled her nose. "Shopping?"

Kat nodded. "Yeah, I heard the mall is opening as an indoor trading post in the afternoons. I'm taking the girls with me." She looked toward Kara and explained. "The other day I found out that Ray is doing 3 loads of laundry every night after they all go to bed just to keep them all in clean clothes. That's why I'm going shopping today. If they each had another winter outfit, there would be a chance for the kids to do their own laundry during the day."

Val snorted and reached for a cookie. "I'll stick to my computers. I was an only child so I don't know much about kids. I have a hard time keeping a houseplant alive, never mind something that needs to be fed on a regular schedule."

This Kara understood. "Me either. I was the youngest and I never babysat or anything. But they seem to love you Kat. You know you're going to be on the top of my babysitter list." Well that wasn't quite true. "Actually, Alisha is the top. She's wanted a baby for a long time. But you're right after her." Val's eyes went wide when she mentioned Alisha liking babies. Maybe Wolf's suspicions about the pair were right.

Kat giggled as she gathered up her tray. "Another only child here so I don't know too much either. Ray told me to just try to keep them busy so they don't have a chance to make trouble. I know zero about babies, but I'd love to babysit for you and Danny anytime." She stood and shoved her hands in the sleeves of her old jacket. "I see the pack heading out so I better go."

Kara watched as she swiftly crossed the room toward the train of rowdy kids waiting to deposit their trays. She seemed so calm about the fact that it had been barely a month since she reunited with her father and he'd already left her behind for a mission. She hoped that one day Flutter would be able to handle the lifestyle he or she was being born into just as well.

Val interrupted her mussing. "You know, taking on that much responsibility and having all those kids constantly needing her is going to ruin her youth. That boy's too. The one in charge, what's his name?" She nodded toward where Ray stood waiting at the doors.

Kara watched as Kat blended seamlessly with the gaggle surrounding Ray. "That's Ray." Kat was beaming at a little boy with over sized glasses while a chattering preteen girl was tugging her by the arm toward the door. "And who knows? Maybe a big busy family is exactly what she needs right now. Like she said, she's almost an orphan herself."


	10. Chapter 10 - Aujour'hui ma vie

I am descended from French-Canadian circus performers. My backup plan, should the US go to hell in a handbasket, is to run away to Canada and live the rest of my days as a bearded lady. Three meals a day, a job with travel, and benefits, what more could a person want?

**Aujour'hui ma vie c'est d'la marde, Lisa LeBlanc**

Danny was about to notify Sargent Mulroney when the other man stood up and approached the table where Michener and William had been talking intently, clearly enjoying the chance to hash out policy with other experienced minds. "Your Grace, Mr. President. I must interrupt your meeting to inform you that our guards at the East entrance believe they are being watched."

As William rose to his feet the RCMP men shot to their's as well. "Unfortunately, I believe this concludes the diplomatic portion of our meeting President Michener." Michener looked bewildered but he stuck his hand forward and shook anyway as the soldiers formed a protective phalanx around the two leaders.

The King left the table and all the equipment as he quickly strode East, toward the Canadian end of the tunnel. "We were afraid this might happen so we do have safe room. Mulroney, please lead."

Mulroney barked orders to his men and then waved the Americans toward the Canadian side of the tunnel. "This way. We'll lead." The RCMP group moved fast. Clearly they had practiced this kind of thing before. "Quick and quiet lads. You know how sound carries in these tubes."

Tex and Betty Li immediately flanked Michener's elbows and Danny took the point. "Civies behind the President, Simpson-Slattery's team can cover the rear, and Cruz, get some imaging going behind us." They jogged lightly and Danny listened intently for Mason's signal. It seemed like it had been far more than a minute since he had status. They passed the horses and the Duchess's personal guards brought the two royals into the shield formed by the RCMP men. A few of the men in the lead had night vision glasses but otherwise they were all walking practically blind except for a few small points of light on the pavement.

For a few moments there was only the tromping of boots echoing off the tile walls. Did he miss the clicks? His ears strained to hear his mic over the sound of marching. Out of the darkness he caught up to Mulroney opening a door hidden in the wall. Even if they were looking for it, Danny wasn't sure he would have noticed it. There was no sign or markings at all, just a small stainless steel piece of metal about the size of a playing card at the height where a doorknob should be. As they waited, Mulroney pulled out an access card and held it to the metal panel. A tiny green LED flashed and the door opened. Yellow sulfur emergency lights flickered on and flooded out into the road.

"Hurry, it gives an alarm if it's open more than a few minutes at a time." Danny could see a steep set of concrete stairs, almost a ladder really, with orange pipes for handrails leading somewhere upward.

The Duchess' personal guard went first, and then Mulroney held out his hands for the little Prince. Danny saw the look of sorrow exchanged between Catherine and Will as she handed over the boy to Mulroney. "You should come now." She said softly. "It's your duty to survive."

Will shook his head. "It's his duty to survive." He nodded toward his sleeping son, rapidly disappearing up the steps with Mulroney. "It's mine to protect our country." Danny had facilitated many evacuations from fighting areas and natural disasters. And when things got harried you could almost never predict who would seek to save themselves first. As he stood on the other side of the doorway from William he remembered Kara pleading with him to just drive the boat. He felt a wave a shame now, as he had when they'd come back to shore then. He could see now, that unlike William's dedication to his country, he had been selfish.

He heard some commotion over his earpiece. "Got them, heading back." Burk's voice sounded in his ear. Danny quietly instructed him to keep going past the meeting site. "Wolf and I will be on the left." The last of the civilians had climbed the steps and now half of the RCMP men were following. Danny nodded to Simpson-Slattery. "Start talking to Mulroney as soon as you're safe."

"Yes sir." Garth let his team pass before him and then followed them up the stairs.

"How many coming behind?" William asked.

Startled to be addressed directly, Danny stammered. "Ah, Ah, 4"

Just then he heard a blast. "Shit!" It was Burk. "I think they just blasted the entrance open Green."

"Just hustle, damn it!", Kara would never forgive him if Burk or Alicia were injured, or worse, on his watch. His adrenaline surged and his eyes strained out into the dark as he willed them to run faster. Who the heck was hassling them and how had they known where to find them? They had been deliberately circumspect on their plans for Detroit when they left Ann Arbor. But the plan had been to have this meeting in the morning and then open up someplace called The Joe to spread the cure in the afternoon. He had no idea how anyone could have known about this part.

An agonizing minute passed before Burk huffed "Entering Canada."

Danny felt a distant rumble through his feet. Shit, had they cleared enough of the entrance to drive in. "Hurry!" William called out into the darkness. Apparently he heard it too. He could hear something like a semitruck or heavy equipment coming toward them and there was the faintest glimmer of light reflecting along the walls of the tunnel.

The four of them emerged at full speed. "Who ever they were sir, they showed up organized." Alicia shouted as they leapt up the curb and into the open door. Danny and Wolf waved them into the doorway and they began to climb the steep steps without even a moment's pause. It wasn't until after Danny had shoved William in front of him and jerked the door closed that he realized he'd probably just broken about 20 international protocols. As they stood on the landing waiting their turn, they heard several large vehicles rush by. They had just made it in time.

"Uh, Sorry?" He said to William, unsure of what to say. Despite the fact that his life was filled with protocol, it was an entirely different kind.

But William just gave a curt dip of his chin. "Thank you lieutenant for your quick thinking." He turned and ascended the steps with an easy athleticism. Danny noticed that a second set of steps led downward beneath the ones they were on, but he couldn't see where they led as he jogged upward.

He was the last to enter the saferoom. It was probably about 30 by 30 feet, he estimated, and with this many people carrying packs and guns, quite crowded. He had been fine out in the tunnel where there was the wide open ceiling, but now he broke out in a sweat, despite the clammy tunnel air, as the walls seemed to close in a little. The only furniture was a row of locked cabinets along the back wall. There were no other exits other than the way they came in. Betty and Tex were taking Michener to the corner farthest from the door and four RCMP men were doing the same with the Duchess and Prince, but instead of taking cover, the King was issuing orders.

"Seal the inner door. Have you alerted the extraction team?" William addressed Mulroney. Seal the door? Danny felt a little out of breath at the thought of being trapped inside.

Mulroney's face was red and angry. "I did, and they advised us to stay put." He jerked his head to where a red phone hung on the wall next to the cabinets. "But the person who answered didn't provide the right safecode and the phone line was cut immediately after."

"What is this place?" Burk and Wolf came to stand at Danny's elbows. He was glad they were there. They needed to decide what to do and they needed to do it now. Because one thing was for sure, Danny had no intention of sitting here waiting for someone to come pitch a grenade up the stairs.

Mulroney obliged them. "It's a saferoom created for the tunnel workers. When they built the tunnels they used a new construction method that involved floating sections out and sinking them. Then they had to drain the water and seal the sections together. In order to convince the workers, most of whom couldn't swim, to come in here and finish the interior, they built these rooms. Originally there was one in each section of the tunnel. They are airtight so if the tunnels flood, they should be self contained until divers can come rescue the occupants." He pointed at a hatch on the ceiling that reminded Danny of his one and only two night stay on a submarine.

Simpson-Slattery nudged Danny's elbow with a rolled sheaf of papers. "But they aren't on the plans? I studied them ahead of time."

"Nope." Mulroney agreed. "They were supposed to be removed after construction but Canada decided to keep one. It cost less than removing it." Mulroney lifted his hat and ran a hand through his thinning reddish hair. "I only knew about it because my Dad drove the tunnel bus for thirty years. But that's neither here nor there now. We are safe, until they find us. And if they were here looking for us, I think time is of the essence for escape."

"Agreed." Danny nodded to Simpson-Slattery who unrolled a set of plans. "Let's figure out our options. What's in those cabinets?

Mulroney glanced toward the wall of cabinets. "Dive gear and some emergency supplies like first aid and water. But there's not enough gear for this many and the water above is far too cold with too many ice floes." Danny glanced around at the groupings of nervous people. Even some of the steadiest members of his group, Granderson and Cruz, looked a little shaken. A few of the civilians were crying, and the Duchess was nervously biting her lips and pacing.

"Can we cross to the westbound tunnels and escape that way?" Danny suggested.

"We could. There are five cross connection passages." Simpson-Slattery frowned down at the plans. He didn't point them out or elaborate.

Danny considered Garth's history. He was smart and very capable. But he'd also been serving under Velasquez who, as far as Danny could tell, was a very top down kind of guy. He tried to project the stern but respectful voice Chandler used with his lieutenants and chiefs. "If there's a reason you think it's a bad idea, I need to know soldier."

Garth glanced up from under his brows, surprise written all over his face. "Well, they know what side we are on and that we are near the middle so it would be relatively easy for them to stake out the closest crossings."

Danny smiled reassuringly. "Good point."

Will tapped their approximate location on the plans Garth was holding. "Where do the stairs that went below lead?"

Garth shuffled his papers to bring a cross section to the top. "I assume they are an access point to the under tunnel. The road deck is built kind of like a bridge. Underneath is a space for fresh air to enter. There are some fans, but mostly it's just a big conduit." Mulroney nodded his agreement.

Danny was beginning to get an idea. "How tall is it supposed to be?" He met William's eye across the circle of men. He had a feeling the other man had been thinking the same thing.

"Ah." Simpson-Slattery squinted at the plans. "Looks like about six feet in the very center. So taller men, like yourself, ah, Sir, and myself will have to duck. But most can walk normally except where there is other infrastructure."

"And the outlet?" William raised his brows.

"Well, if we keep going to the Canadian side we come up in a utility building behind the custom's offices. On the US side the conduits end in large grates in the median." Neither was a great option but it sounded like it might be the only option they were going to get. Danny studied the plans for a minute, trying to decide if he should recommend trying it.

"What if we go down into the lower tunnel and cut behind them, then move up to this cross point and go over to the other tunnel? Then we can move quickly to the end, back into the lower tunnel, and exit behind the custom's building?"

Going out in the roadway would likely be suicide given that they didn't have any kind of cover. If it had been just a group of trained men he would have gone for it. But it would be almost as bad to emerge at one end and be captured or shot down along with a bunch of civilians. Besides, he still didn't know the level of threat that this group posed, only that there were a lot of boots on the ground out there. For once, he wished he wasn't in command right now.

Mulroney was nodding to a strategy William was describing but Danny realized that Michener was looking to him to suggest a solution. He felt the burden of leadership crowding in on him along with the 75 feet of water above the tunnel ceiling. If he made the wrong suggestion he'd not only look stupid in front of two world leaders, he'd endanger civilians. Wolf leaned in and spoke quietly. "For what it's worth, those conduits, with all their equipment, could be more defensible than this position anyways. We could go down there and then send an expeditionary group forward. You, me, Cruz and a few of the Canadian guys could go with the rest to guard the rear." It was a good suggestion and Danny was grateful for the his willingness to share his insight.

Relieved that he wasn't crazy for wanting out of the confined space he pursed his lips. "I like that." He turned back to the group. "Senior Chief Taylor is suggesting that we move the group into the tunnels and then send a small party forward to clear the way and leave a small rear guard behind us. What do you think Mulroney?"

Mulroney chewed on his inner lip for a moment. "I think it's the best we can do. I'd suggest leapfrogging, 200 yards at a time."

William looked to Catherine for a moment but finally he sighed. "I agree. We think we know who these people are and they are very capable. We need to avoid them at all costs."

"It's settled. We'll ready our people." Danny looked over his group. "We're going to the Canadian side so how about Mulroney's team runs point with Simpson-Slattery's to follow. Burk and I will run forward and back positions on the VIPs and their personal guards. Granderson and Mason can lead the civilians sandwiched in the middle. Senior Chief Taylor will organize the rear cover with whomever you appoint Sargent.

He elbowed his way to where Betty Li and Tex were discussing the lack of intelligence on any hostile groups in the Detroit area. Michener easily agreed to the plan. Pretty soon they were tiptoeing back down the stairs the way they came.

The tunnel below had a thin stream of dirty water running along the center. It was just barely tall enough for men like William and Garth to walk upright. Garth quickly passed instructions to shine all lights downward in order to highlight possible blocks in the path and avoid reflections through manhole covers and grates above. He demonstrated walking forward with one hand above the head to protect against overhead obstructions. The forward team moved off at a quick walk leaving the rest of them waiting for the three click signal that would mean it was safe for them to move up 200 yards. Danny felt like the ceiling was pressing down on him, heavy and wet from the river above. They had decided everyone should be as quiet as possible as there were manholes and access panels into the roadway and being all spread out with no cover, they'd be easy pickings. But the sounds of the forward team's footsteps echoed in his ears. How could they not hear it up above?

As they waited quietly they heard the invaders searching. "Where the hell did they go?"

"Ciboire! The message said they would be here at 0900. We got the message right after they were at the restaurant last night."

"Figures the tabarnak Brit would find a way to weasel away." The last was said in perfect Quebecois. Maybe they were Francophone separatists, Danny wondered.

The group above moved away and the group huddled below breathed a collective sigh of relief. When the three clicks came they slowly moved forward. It took almost 10 minutes to travel 200 yards because they had to slowly work their way around many fans and pumps. From the many soft curses, Danny was sure they were going to emerge black and blue from the knees down. At this rate it would take the better part of an hour to get them out of the tunnel, and Danny didn't like those odds.

When they met the forward group he whispered to Simpson-Slattery "How much farther to the cross point?"

"Another 100 yards Sir. Forward team is one click to proceed. VIP team is two. Rear is three. Steady tone for shelter in place." Danny patted Garth on the shoulder. "Well done Sergeant. Let's make this happen." They couldn't get out of there fast enough, he thought.

As he waited for the clicks to signal his move forward, he ran over the plan in his head. Garth's team was going to emerge in the eastbound lanes and hold the position for Mulroney's while Danny's moved up into place. Once Mulroney's team had secured the westbound tunnel they would would hold position for Danny's team to leapfrog. Then they would send the VIP's through the entire passage. If they had to, they'd drop back and wait for additional opportunities to send each successive group. His heartbeat was pounding. He knew from a rational standpoint that this was as necessary as it was risky, but he didn't like the prospect of putting the President of the United States in a tunnel with mysterious attackers, even if only for a few minutes. If this went south, it could be the end of his career. A second thought chased that. Something had changed the night before. If this went south, he would mourn the loss of a potentially great leader.

At the first set of clicks he passed up his weapon and then put his boot in one of the RCMP men's linked fingers and boosted himself through the manhole. As the space of the roadway tunnel opened around him he took a deep breath of the cool dry air with relief at being free of the cramped space below. The tunnel was pitch black and they weren't risking lights. He lowered his night vision goggles into place and immediately saw Garth and his team lined up across the roadway creating a path to a dark square on the inside wall.

There was an open hatch on the inside wall of the tunnel, about two feet off the floor. Garth hooked a thumb in its direction and Danny groaned inwardly. He had been hoping for a door with a p-way, not another crawling space. This one was only about 4 foot square. With a heavy sigh, he heaved himself up into the conduit and slid forward on the bare metal bottom, hoping the small scratching sounds made by his M4 as he pushed it in front of him weren't as loud as they seemed. The night vision goggles were useless with all the reflective surfaces and he switched them off and focused on feeling his way through. The metal was cold and damp with a gritty coating that he assumed was rust. But he could get another uniform later, right now he needed to get in place so the president could cross. After what felt like an eternity he reached out for the next crawl forward and felt nothing but air. He wiggled his legs forward and slid out onto his feet, grappling for his goggles with one hand. The westbound tunnel was identical to the eastbound but it was a little disorienting, having the lines appear on the opposite sides of the road without any context for reference.

Mulroney's team was spread out across the tunnel, weapons ready to defend the passage if necessary. He didn't sense anyone other then their own group in the westbound tunnels but it didn't hurt to be careful so he took a place toward the outside wall and watched as one by one his people emerged. All was clear when two clicks sounded, but he felt tension gathering in his shoulders as they slowly amassed more and more people on the westbound side. Betty Li was the first of the VIP team to slide out of the conduit. She grinned confidently as she grasped Specialist Goodwin's outstretched hand and stretched her toes toward the ground. She silently brushed her clothing into order and then offered a hand to one of the Canadian guards following her.

As soon as Michener and William were through, Simpson-Slattery's team took off to investigate the exit point. Tex and Betty kept Michener close to the inside wall and the Canadian team was doing the same with their leader. Everyone was silent as more and more civilians passed through and began to form small groups in the lanes with one or two armed personnel per group. One click sounded in his ear again, indicating that Simpson-Slattery's team had secured a manhole to go back into the lower tunnel somewhere much closer to the exit. He mouthed a silent thanks that so far, this had gone well. Mulroney's group checked their weapons and moved forward. Once they were out of sight Danny signaled to Tex and Betty to be ready and he moved forward with a few of the Canadians.

It was only a quarter mile to the end of the tunnel and they quickly jogged the distance. He swore he could smell snow again as he approached Simpson-Slattery standing over an open manhole. As soon as Danny arrived he pointed the way forward and whispered, "The barrier here is intact just like where we came in but we have no way of knowing what's on the other side of the wall. We're past most of the obstructions below so I sent Specialist Goodwin and Private Chan forward to reconn the exit point."

"Good. Let's pass people below as soon they arrive to get out of the open." Danny was glad Garth had moved things along. The sooner they got out of here the better. "You go forward and click me when it's time to move up."

As people arrived at the manhole he assisted them down. A few of the civilians were clearly beginning to tire and struggled to drop down to the darkness below even thought there were several people helping ensure no one fell. Even Granderson and Miller looked fatigued. When the last person was out of the roadway Danny followed Mulroney down and slid the manhole back in place. They needed to figure out if there would be cover once they exited the tunnels. It could only be a matter of time before the invaders figured out where they had gone.

As they passed to the front of the group, Danny noticed that Mulroney was very strategic in how he moved around people. He could have murmured a quiet pardon me or nothing at all, but as he wove in and out of people he clasped a hand here and patted a back there. And people responded by smiling and standing a little taller, despite their fear and exhaustion. The tunnel curved to the left a little and as they rounded the bend, the screen of his goggles became faintly brighter. He increased his pace. They were almost there!

A doorway appeared at the end of the tunnel. Bright light was streaming in from whatever was on the other side causing his eyes to water in his goggles. He slid them up his face. God he was glad they would be out soon. Even if they might have to run a gauntlet to get somewhere safe. He followed Mulroney through the doorway. It was exactly as Garth had said. Gray skies showed through a grate covering the ceiling of the tall brick tower. There were no doors or windows, but large louvered vents encircled the room, beginning about 8 feet above the floor.

The only thing in the room other than people was a large work chest on wheels. It was pushed against one wall but the tracks in the dirt suggested that Garth had pushed it from the middle to each wall. Garth and one of the Canadians were standing on it and Garth was feeding a narrow cable hooked to a small tablet through one of the vents. At Mulroney's questioning look Danny whispered, "Fiber optic camera I think."

After a minute the two men scrambled down. "Is it clear out there? It will take quite a while to evac this many people if we all have to climb up to that vent." Mulroney asked.

"Not exactly." The young Canadian replied, tilting the screen in Garth's hand so Mulroney and Danny could see it. "We're actually about 12 feet above a concrete apron so we aren't going out those vents. There are guards on all four sides."

Garth scrolled back to a shot of the duty free building. "Our best bet is to go out the North side because although there is a guard right there, we should be able to cross to the back of this building without anyone else seeing." Danny waved for him to hand over the screen and he and Mulroney flipped through the images. Meanwhile, Garth laid the plans for the tunnel entrance on the floor and pointed out how the tower and some concrete sound barriers outside could allow them to get out of sight and away from the tunnel. Once again, Danny knew he'd take this plan and run with it if he was working with just a small team. But there were civilians involved, and tired ones at that.

In the back of his mind an idea flickered. He and Wolf and a maybe a couple of Mulroney's team could leave the civies behind, make a break for it, and then come back with the advantage of position and possibly firepower. Wolf could probably get on that building and do some damage sniping. "You aren't the kind of man who leaves civilians in danger." He heard Kara's voice plain as day in his head. Of course he wasn't, right?

Mulroney's man made a suggestion. "What if we send a team to get vantage points and take down the guards, maybe distract them from where we are, then we can come back for the rest."

"This isn't the time to play hero, Kirk." Mulroney frowned. "Although the distraction idea is good." He stroked his chin. "The more we can keep them from figuring out where we are, the better our chances of totally slipping the noose and avoiding a firefight on the outside." They discussed the idea and a few minutes later Alisha was leading a small team including Wolf, Specialist Goodwin, Private Chan, Cruz, Miller, and Mason back toward the tunnels.

While they waited for the signal, Danny and Mulroney quietly spread the details of the plan through the group. William and Michener, surrounded by a tight knot of guards, would cross to the backside of the Duty Free building first to take maximum advantage of the confusion created by the distraction. Danny's pulse was pounding and adrenaline was surging again. His fingertips practically tingled and his legs felt restless to move. But the timing had to be perfectly right so he forced himself to take a few calming breaths. He wished he could tell Kara what was going on. On the other hand, assuming they survived, it was probably best not to worry her until it was over.

Simpson-Slattery was carefully laying out a battery of small charges against the back wall of the tunnel. He worked calmly and methodically, twisting each bundle of wires exactly four times before wrapping them around the pins on the detonator that Private Findley held to one side. As he had before, he used a crack in the bricks as a starting point but this time he was wedging some small metal pins into some of the chinks between the bricks. When he was ready, he stepped back and swung a hand toward Danny. "Ready Sir. Bricks are easy, but I would put on some gloves and eyewear. You can stand ready to push the wall out of the way when the time comes."

They waited for Mason to send the signal. Danny gripped the hilt of his knife in one hand and leaned with the other against the wall. This was either going to go perfectly or Simpson-Slattery was going to blow his entire arm off. In the end, they didn't need the signal. The alarm sounded from outside the tower. "They can hear them in eastbound tunnel!" A man called out to the guards around the tower in French.

Danny looked up to where Findley and Mulroney's man were using the camera to monitor the guard outside the tower. Findley held up 3 fingers. Three men were on the other side of the wall now. Shit, two he could reasonably take, but three was pushing the chances of injury or losing the stealth advantage. If the distraction didn't work, it could cost them good soldiers. Plus, once the invaders figured out they were trying to outwit them, it could up the stakes too. He gripped the knife tighter and waited. He could hear the rumble of voices but couldn't make out what the men on the other side of the wall were saying. A minute later he heard Wolf's voice in his ear. "They're looking for us." That meant that the invaders had heard the radio that Wolf's team had put in the middle of the eastbound tunnel, near where they had been meeting. It was now or never.

Findley waved 1 finger, then none. Go time. He nodded to Simpson-Slattery and tucked his head. God he hoped this kid was as good at this as he seemed. There was a small popping sound and a little shower of dust and pebbles sprinkled his hair and cheeks. Then they were pushing the bricks out and the cold air was rushing in. He lifted his head and scanned the sight lines and roofs as he stepped over the rubble at his feet. They were empty. Quickly he ran to the corner and peered around. Their opponents, whoever they were, were running for the eastbound tunnel entrance. No one was looking up here. In the roadbed below there were 4 personnel carriers. Whatever they were about, these people were executing a well prepared plan. He took a guard position and waved to Findley. Behind him, he heard the rush of footsteps as Mulroney's team crossed to the corner of the Duty Free building. "We're headed for the exit." Wolf's voice was in his ear. They probably only had another minute before their opponents discovered it was just a radio and came looking for them again.

He glanced over his shoulder. The civilians were already running from the tunnel to the cover of the duty free building's portico. Good. When Burk tapped his ankle he he turned and sprinted for the cover of the other building. Just in time too. A heavily accented voice came on the comm. "Nice try you stinking Anglo dogs. There's only so many places you can go in these tunnels. And I have a little surprise for you." There was a distinct click of a bullet being chambered and then Danny flinched as the comm went dead with a resounding crash.

"Dingo team, come in." He tried to raise any of them over the comm but it was dead. Shit. It had been a known risk, using their radio control system to lure their attackers to the middle of the tunnels, but it was the only thing they'd had with them with a loud enough speaker. "Wolf? Granderson?" He mentally crossed his fingers and hoped they were already well toward escape. He glanced toward the opposite shore of the river, but at a mile away, he knew he wouldn't be able to see it when Goodwin blew the barrier wall on the westbound tunnel, but he hoped they were close. Simpson-Slattery sidled up beside him. "Vent structure is empty, ready for phase 2 Sir."

He held up a hand to hold back the rest of the group and crept along the side of the building. If he came around the corner in front of him and found an empty parking lot, he swore he would scream in frustration. He whipped around the corner, knife held high just in case, and grinned when he saw a parking lot full of cars before them. He checked the roof line, but it looked good. There was no time to waste. He waved Simpson-Slattery and Mulroney's men forward and they spread out, breaking windows, pulling wires from under hoods, and starting up the cars. Findley was grouping people and sending them toward each car as they started. William's guard took the first car and sped off into the surface streets, the King's car right behind them. Then Tex and Michener were getting in a beat up pickup, Findley and Betty crouching in the back, guns ready.

A window broke right next to his elbow and he dove for cover under a jeep. He heard a spray of bullets hit the side above his head. Shit, they'd been found. No doubt other's would come as fast as they could. He scrabbled in the cold gravel to come up on the other side. Along the edge of the building, the civilians were awaiting their turn, smiling and looking out over the parking lot, relieved at escaping the tunnel and not realizing what had just happened. He saw one of Mulroney's men go down. No! It had all been going so well! Angrily, he scanned to rooftops but he still didn't see anyone. "Top of the custom's building, north corner, using a drainage pocket." Burk called out from a few rows over. "I might get a shot on him if I can get him to stand up over the lip.

It only took a moment to decide. In Chicago two days ago, Danny had reluctantly stood beside the President while the man gave a speech to a stadium full of scraggly survivors. He'd told himself then that he was a professional and as such he would carry out his duties no matter whether he believed in the man in charge, because he took his job, and his oath, seriously. But something had changed when he sat beside Michener in the empty stadium the night before. He no longer saw him as just a weak man, but rather a man who was struggling under the weight of many burdens, and still pressing on. During the quiet of the early morning hours he'd lain in bed and wondered how he would cope if he had to see Kara die, or their baby. Would he be able to keep fighting for a future outside of himself? Would he be able to keep faith in humanity? Or would his grief and pain crush him like a bug on the sidewalk? If he didn't do something now, that broken man, whom he had just started to believe in, wasn't going to get the chance to change their futures for the better.

One minute he was looking for cover and the next he was prairie dogging up over the hood of the car, to catch the attention of the guy on the building, waving his arms over head as he dashed back toward the building. Gravel flew up behind him and the distinct ping of bullets hitting glass and metal sounded in his wake. Out of the corner of his eye he sensed the man rising to angle the gun more vertically as Danny wove in and out of cars at a full sprint back toward the Duty Free building. God he hoped Burk was a good enough shot to make it. He felt the hot sting of something hitting his cheek and prepared to dive over the landscaping for the cover of the portico. And then there was only a sudden calm, followed by a sickening thud as the lookout slumped over the roof ledge and fell to the ground just a few feet away.

"Got him." Burk called out. And then without hesitation. "Let's move people because we have seconds to clear this place before someone comes looking at what all the noise was about." Danny was panting. He lifted his hand to his cheek and felt the salt from his fingers sting in a little raw scrape. Probably from a bit of glass or gravel he figured. How many more times in his life would he get away with these kinds of things? He wiped the blood on his sleeve and hustled to direct people to cars. In the pickup, Tex was laying on the gas, a rooster tail of gravel spilling out behind as he took off with the President toward the secure facility Mulroney had suggested. Danny noticed that Betty wasn't sitting up on the wheel rim the way she had been before, but his attention was captured by a plume of water and dirty chunks of ice flying into the air down at the river. That had been the third alternative on Wolf's list. He hoped to God that didn't mean it had all gone south in the tunnels.


	11. Chapter 11

**It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken - The Tragically Hip**

Danny looked out of the mullioned windows of what for all intents and purposes looked like an ordinary government building in an office park somewhere outside of Hamilton. Mulroney's men had brought them here, after a crazy dash through Windsor. There were apparently a network of tunnels connecting this building to its neighbors and instead of being tax and postal offices as they appeared, they were actually part of a network of ColdWar safe houses. Somewhere below, the President was taking tea with William and the rest of the team was getting some much needed sleep. Michener was adamant that they would re-group and press on. Danny was grateful they had such a place to retreat, but right now he wanted nothing more than to be back in the US.

The sat phone on the desk beside him must have been made in the ColdWar too. He picked up the olive green receiver from the desk and held it to his ear. His hand was shaking so much that he felt the earpiece vibrate against his skull. He didn't want to do this, but he knew it was part of the next steps in becoming a leader. Michener and Chandler needed leaders now, so no matter how much he might want to pass the ball to someone else, it was time to step up. He dialed the number of the sat phone in Kara's office. A series of clicks sounded as various communication systems switched the call, and undoubtedly a few failed and had to relay to their backups. After what felt like a million years he heard the voice he's been waiting for. "Hello?" He could hear the surprise in her voice. He wondered what the caller ID said. "Ah, Commander of the Navy's office. Commander Foster-Green speaking." He could still sense the question in her voice but her cool professionalism had taken over.

"Kara, it's me."

There was a pause broken only by the sound of Halsey's tail thumping against her desk. He supposed she'd been expecting something very official. And maybe he should have maintained a very formal, distant, manner for this. But he needed to hear her, just for a minute. He hoped it would give him courage.

"Danny? Where are you? Why isn't Mason calling." There was panic in her voice.

"I'm alright. I'm across the border, in Hamilton, Ontario. I need to make a formal report to Chandler. It's urgent." He didn't want to scare her with the details but he supposed she'd have to know sooner or later.

"Hold on." He heard her in the background, calling out in alarm to Chandler. "Sir, it's an emergency with Mitten's team."

The pause as he waited for Chandler felt like ages. Then he heard him give Kara a soft order. "Set office condition Delta." He knew she'd be alerting the guard and moving to Chandler's inner office. "Lieutenant Green. Please proceed with your report." Chandler's voice echoed slightly and Danny figured he must be on speaker phone. He hoped so, because he wasn't sure he could repeat his message twice to fill Kara in on the details.

"I regret to inform command of the losses and casualties suffered in this mission." Kara gasped. Chandler swore.

He waited for Chandler to tell him to proceed. He knew the drill. There was a very specific procedure to follow. There was a rustling of paper. "Proceed."

"Agent Betty Li, confirmed deceased from a gunshot wound sustained during an altercation with suspected Quebecois Separatists in Windsor, Ontario."

"Lieutenant Alisha Granderson, Lieutenant Junior Grade William Mason, Petty Officer First Class Javier Cruz, Petty Officer Third Class Eric Miller, Private First Class Sonny Chan, Senior Chief in His Majesties Royal Australian Navy, Wolf Taylor missing and presumed dead since 1300 Sir." There was absolute silence. He'd expected Chandler to ask him what happened or what they were doing to find the missing, or even how the exchange with Canada had gone, but all he heard was the scratching of a pencil.

Finally Chandler sighed. "I your position currently secure? Is the threat mitigated?"

He looked out the window again. As far as he could see, the streets of the industrial park were empty save the armed guards patrolling the fence line, their red parkas a glaring contrast to the leaden gray skies. "Ah yes sir. The Canadian delegation has provided a safe house. I do not believe our party was the target in this case. Burk is working on transpo back to our side of the lakes right now. Michener wants to eat and get rested and get back to it tomorrow."

Chandler sighed. "Very well, give me the details. Kara, take notes because we're going to have to prepare some kind of public statement about this."

Danny recounted the morning's events in as much detail as he could remember. "So you see sir, the Canadians believe the attackers were Quebec separatists who have been fighting William's rule ever since it was announced a month ago. Apparently he is even considering moving the seat of government further west to a compound in Alberta. But neither side knows how they knew about the meeting today. One of the attackers was heard saying that they got a message about it last night." The fatigue of the day seemed to catch up to him in that moment and he sat on the edge of the desk, leaning his head back on the wall. "We didn't set the time of the meeting until dinner last night and it was communicated to the Canadians via encrypted sat phone so there has to be a mole on one side or the other that knew about the meeting directly."

"Whether it's the mole we already know about, or someone on the Canadian side," Kara reasoned. "I have no idea why disrupting the spread of the cure would help the Quebecois cause."

"What do you mean mole we already know about?" God, could this day get any worse. This was supposed to be an easy trip, babysitting the president and doing something good for society. Gah, he just wanted to catch up on some sleep and then go home.

"I've already got people working on figuring out who it is. Someone has been sending messages about the President's location via satellite internet. They might be sending other info, but but so far that's all we've been able to decrypt. Have you seen any of the civies using a smartphone style sat phone?"

"No, but I'll ask Tex to look into it. I suppose it would have been the sort of thing Betty Li was equipped for."

"Could Betty Li have been the target?" Chandler ventured. "An agent like her has to have some enemies. Someone took out her husband a few years ago, after all."

Danny closed his eyes and pinched his nose. He didn't know. And he felt like such a failure for not even really knowing how she died. One minute she'd been sitting over the back of the pickup and the next he couldn't see her. By the time they'd gotten to William's compound she had bled out from a gunshot wound to her brachial artery. Findley had been in the back with her and all he'd said was a quiet "I'll need to wash up." Before disappearing to ask Mulroney's group about laundry and showers.

"I don't think so. She was shot from a sniper on the roof and he was after me too. I don't think individuals were targeted."

"You're ok though?" There was a tremulous note to Kara's inquiry. She knew what his work was like, and he knew she accepted it, but he also knew that didn't make it any less frightening.

"Yes, I'm fine. But we are lucky we did as well as we did. Now we have no secure communications ability and we may have lost seven of our best people."

They discussed the communications issues further for a while but eventually circled back around to the losses. "Are you sure they couldn't have survived?" Kara's voice was hushed, almost like she didn't want to hear out loud what she was saying.

He hoped so. He hoped so with all his heart. But he had also held out hope on so many missions before and he knew that losing communication, location, and seeing an explosion were all negative signs. There had probably been 50 or more troops in those tunnels by the time they sped away from the scene. He hated to think about Wolf's team being gunned down with out hope of cover or backup, but if he was honest with himself, he knew that was what had probably happened. In the end, he didn't want to give her false hope. "I am so sorry Kara. I am the one who assigned the team so this is on me." He felt the hot sting of shame at the corners of his eyes. He wished he could take back every time he'd been pissed at a commanding officer's decision in the past, every time he'd criticized and said he would have done something different after something had gone wrong.

"This is not on you Lieutenant." Her voice was firm and her message was echoed by Chandler.

"I agree that the loss of these seven hits us hard, both from a capability and a personal standpoint. But you are not to blame Green, and you know it."

He sighed. He did know it but that didn't stop it from hurting so much. It had been drilled into him practically from birth that officers make the best decision they can with the best info available and the rest is out of their hands. Still, it hurt. Yet another failed mission on his record. He didn't know anyone else who had lost so many so early in their career.

"How's Sargeant Simpson-Slattery taking it?" Kara asked. "From what Major Velasquez has told me since he started calling in, that team is pretty close. He must be pretty broken up about losing Specialist Goodwin and Private Chan."

God, there was another failure. He took a deep breath. "I haven't talked to him yet. I wanted to make the report before I did anything." If he had learned anything from Chandler over the past seven months it was that leaders succeeded by knowing their people and helping them get what they needed. He needed to get back downstairs with Burk and Simpson-Slattery and the others. They must be feeling just as rotten as he was. "Michener wants to press on, but I'm not sure I like the idea of working blind with the President in tow. It sounds like there could be more than one info leak, and we've lost our primary communication abilities. Do you think I should try to talk him out of it? Maybe we should just search Detroit for survivors and then come back in?" There was a part of Danny that really wanted Chandler to say the situation had changed and they needed to come home, re-group, make a new plan. But there was a small part that knew he'd be disappointed if Michener agreed.

"I know what you're thinking Danny." Chandler sighed. "But here's what you need to think about. If it was just you alone, would you continue to press on, bring the cure as far as you could, knowing what it could cost you?"

For the first time since he'd discovered he was in love with Kara, he wished she wasn't part of a conversation. "Yes." His voice was rough but certain. "Yes, hundreds, maybe thousands could be saved by receiving the vaccine."

"Don't you think ever other man and woman in your team feels the same?" He didn't answer. He knew Chandler was right, but it still hurt, knowing he was going to have to accept that he couldn't save them all, even if he just got a little better, trained a little more, was a little smarter next time.

He heard papers shuffling on the other end. "Everyone believes in this work. We need to accept the risk and move on." Kara's voice started out soft but gained authority as she spoke. "Val and I have an idea for how to limit the mole's access to information. Whoever they are, they've got specialized equipment and training to get their messages encrypted and transmitted, and without anyone noticing while you're all traveling so closely. So they are either someone whose history we don't know well or one of the more senior people in the group. So the likely suspects are you of course, Wolf, Tex, Burk, or one of the civilians. Simpson-Slattery's team couldn't be part of it because the first messages went out before you met up." Danny agreed on the list of possibilities but it had to be one of the civilians, right? Or maybe that nosy reporter had been tailing them all along? They had all volunteered. There was no way it was Wolf, Tex, or Burk and it sure as hell wasn't himself.

Kara pushed on. "You and Michener work out a tentative itinerary for the rest of the trip in private. Before you leave the compound and lose the availability of secure communication, I want you to pass the plan to me. You'll communicate the next steps to the rest of your group on an as needed basis. After that, you only check in if there is something to report or you change plans. That will cut off the flow of information to our mole."

Danny sighed. "Yeah. I suppose that's the thing to do. Still, I just can't believe it's any of those guys. Not after all we've been through."

Tom snorted. "Unfortunately, the things we've been through don't guarantee anything. Keep your eyes peeled, play your cards close, and watch your six."

"You know I will."

They said their goodbyes and Danny returned to the group downstairs. As Burk called him into a conference room filled with maps and aerial photos, he realized how uncomfortable he was going to feel keeping information from him. They'd faced Spetsnaz operators, pissed of Gitmo prisoners, immunes, and angry crowds together. For goodness sakes, Carlton had stood up as best man at his wedding. He used to love the high risk missions. In fact, he'd thrived on the idea of outsmarting an unseen foe. But now he had so much more to lose, including the friendship of a good man. He sighed and took a seat at the head of the table. "Give me a briefing on the resources and options, then I'll work out the next step." Once again, leadership wasn't turning out to be what it was cracked up to be.


	12. Chapter 12

**Heroes, The Commodores**

Alisha adjusted the blanket wrapped around Miller. She was pretty sure he'd be fine, but like a mother hen she couldn't stop fussing over him. They were all pretty much stunned by what had happened, and so far, they had only gotten as far as getting Miller someplace safe and warm. Goodwin's words still rung in their ears.

"There's no reason to be loyal to the US Government or any other organization from before. New countries and new alliances are forming. We have been waiting for a time like this for decades." As she'd spoken her accent had gotten thicker and her face had softened. "Quebec will hire you, and pay handsomely, for skilled soldiers such as yourselves. It's a time to make deals and set yourself up for life."

She still couldn't believe Goodwin had managed to get the drop on them. But she guessed that was what happened when you trusted what you saw on the surface too easily. She of all people on the team ought to know that.

Nothing had seemed amiss as Specialist Goodwin had accompanied them back to the safe room. She must have tipped off the Separatists while Alisha and Mason were deeply focused on the radio and Cruz and Wolf were down the stairs, guarding the door. Chan had gone ahead to scout the Western exit. Once they had wired in the extra antenna length to amplify the signal, they had left the safe room to place the radio in the eastbound road bed. The plan was to drop down into the lower tunnels and double time it back to the US side. Then they would activate the radio and wait for the entrance guards to thin out before making their escape. They had hoped that the diversion would create an opportunity for the main group to exit at the Canadian end.

It had gone perfectly up until the point soldiers suddenly surrounded them and the radio. At first glance it looked like 4 on 5, a bet Alisha might have been willing to take given that Wolf, Cruz, and Miller had advanced training and both Wolf and Cruz were good shots. But then Goodwin had turned and put her weapon to Alisha's head while a man, who must have been their leader, stepped out of the darkness and took control of the radio. They probably would have been executed and left for dead shortly after if Wolf hadn't thrown a couple flash bangs and pulled them back into the safe room.

Miller was beginning to stir. "Mother fucker, my head!" He groaned.

"Easy there." Wolf and Alisha each grabbed a shoulder to keep him from sitting up too fast. "You might have a concussion." Wolf shifted to look at his eyes. "How's your eye sight?"

"Fine. But my head is pounding like the worst head ache ever." Miller slowly turned his head and looked over the team. "Where the heck are we?"

"6th floor of the federal building, a few blocks away from the tunnel. We thought there might be some good supplies, maybe a radio here, but everything good's already been looted." Wolf lifted his wrist and took his pulse. "Neck feel ok?"

"Yeah, yeah fine." Miller ducked his head, as if testing his neck muscles. "How'd I get here? I remember putting on the scuba gear and blowing the tunnel to kingdom come, I don't remember swimming for it at all."

"That's because you got hit with a chunk of ice as we exited the dive hatch." Cruz came over to sit on his heels at Miller's feet. "Next time, lead with your hands, not your head. I had to tow you to shore."

"Shit, I'm sorry man." Miller looked down at his lap, a bit of color appearing at the tips of his ears.

"I'm just glad it wasn't me." Cruz said gruffly. "Glad you're all right."

It had been the most terrifying thing Alisha had ever done. Wolf and Cruz were fairly experienced divers and Miller and Mason had both done some vacation diving. But she'd never even tried on a mask in a pool. Add to that the clumsiness of the dry suit, the heavy current, and the bobbing ice chunks and she was feeling very grateful to Wolf who had helped her reach the shore.

She bit her lip nervously. Hopefully Wolf would deem Miller medically stable. They were cold and tired, with no radio. They had no rifles either. They needed to find a car and get someplace where they could re-establish contact ASAP.

Mason turned away from the windows, lowering his binoculars. "Lieutenant, I think I can make out some older cars in the parking garage at the casino a few buildings away. I can probably find one I can wire."

"If he can't start it I probably can." Cruz offered. "Misbeggoten youth and all that." He looked to Wolf. "What do you think, can Miller be released?"

Wolf shrugged. "I don't know. Do you want to try to stand?"

Miller shook his head. "My mouth tastes like a sewer. How long was I out?"

Cruz grinned. "Quit whining! It was an hour tops. It's probably just because you sucked in so much river water. Can't say you're not going to get some kind of chemical poisoning or parasite now. But you don't get to whine over such a wussy injury. Now Mason, he's the one who's going to get all the sympathy from the ladies."

Miller gave Mason a questioning look. "You look fine to me."

Mason laughed and brandished his shoulder where a half inch wide red streak gouged his flesh. "It's just a flesh wound, but it will leave a nice scar and I am sure with the right story it will totally up my street-cred."

Cruz shook his head. "Except your lady-love knows enough and sees enough to know it's nothing. Face it, that wound is wasted on you Mason."

At least they were in good spirits, Alisha reflected. "Sorry Miller, you're the only one on Dingo team without at least one bullet wound now. I could order Wolf to graze you too if you want."

"Ha, Ha." Miller rolled his eyes. "I don't need a hole in my body to be badass. After all, I was one of the original 6." He rolled to his knees and reached for the edge of a desk to help pull himself up. "That's enough risk for one lifetime."

Alisha reached out to hold him under one arm, while Cruz took the other and together they made sure he was clear headed enough before letting go. "Yeah, but chicks dig bullet wounds, just sayin'" Cruz continued razzing him.

Now that Miller was standing, she felt much better about their prospects. A little more able to relax, she quipped, "What would any of you know about what chicks dig?"

Cruz and Miller looked a little unsure of how to respond. Mason smiled politely but didn't say anything. Wolf however laughed out loud. "Admit it gents, we can't compete with her on that score. She knows both sides of that game better than we do."

They helped Miller sit at the edge of a desk and brought him a paper cone filled at a half empty water cooler. Fortunately, whatever this place was, it had a lot of maps on the wall. Alisha pulled a regional roadmap down and placed it on the desk between them.

"What's your plan Lieutenant?" Wolf prompted.

"Well, since we don't appear to have been followed and this building doesn't look used, I think we can stay here safely for the night. Early morning is probably the safest time to move about the city."

"That's always been the best time to avoid getting shot in Detroit." Mason observed.

"Yes, well, given that we are…here," She found their location in the map, "and we know we had no cell reception from Ann Arbor to here, I say we get on the highway and head south toward Toledo. Once we're reasonably sure we haven't been spotted we can search for a radio station or airport or someplace with power where we can maybe get a signal out to St. Louis and see if we can find out what happened to Green's team." She closed her eyes a minute as a terrible apprehension that had been nagging at her periphery ever since they escaped from the tunnel manifested as a crushing guilt. She'd have to tell Chandler that they were separated and they had potentially blown the end of the tunnel while people were still in it. The names and faces started assailing her. Some she knew so well, like Burk and Tex. Others would come as blows to other people. Even worse, she was going to have to tell Kara that Danny was missing. She knew with absolute certainty that Kara would never accept his death without proof. Heck, Alisha even knew Kara still held out hope that her brother would turn up. But not knowing, always wondering about the father of her child, well that would slowly consume her.

"Our priority has to be finding a communication method. We can't leave the people back in St. Louis hanging." There were nods around the desk.

Wolf turned the map to face himself and studied it. "I'm behind your plan 100 percent." That meant a lot to her, knowing how much more experience he had than she did. Actually, that they would follow her at all was still surprising, given that she felt like she'd almost cost them everything back in Baltimore. "I'd suggest we take two vehicles though. That way, if we are chased, a part of our team can attempt to breakaway, to continue to search for a way to make contact." She smiled across the desk at him, glad to have him here when she needed to feel like she was guiding them down the right path.

"Alright then. Let's take three four hour watches and get going at 5 AM. Wolf and Cruz, you guys take the first guard positions at the windows and the main stairwell. Mason and I will search desks for any food or tools we can find. Miller, you need to take it easy."

They managed to rustle up a pile of snack food and actually had a pretty good meal. Without any heat, the building was close to forty degrees so despite the relative safety, no one was able to get to sleep easily. Eventually she found herself standing by the window, looking out toward the water with a pair of binoculars. It didn't look any different than it had this morning and yet she caught herself scanning the dark shadows of the ice floes looking for the bodies of their colleagues.

"No sign of anyone at the river?" Wolf's hushed voice was hoarse from lack of sleep. He offered her a cone of water and she took it with a sigh.

"No sign of anyone at all. With this full moon I'd hardly be surprised if a werewolf dashed by. Detroit is like a ghost town. It's so different from the other cities we've seen."

Wolf leaned against the glass, sipping from his own cup of water. "I noticed that too. There are almost no bodies here, but there's also no piles of trash, no moving cars, no stray dogs. Nothing to indicate that anyone is here. As we walked over from the river I saw many shop fronts boarded up, except the boards looked old."

"You've never been here before, have you?"

"Only the airport."

"See that building over there, with the ugly round towers? My mother gave a speech at an NAACP convention there a few years ago and I came with her." She shook her head. That seemed a lifetime ago. "This part of the city was a little empty even then. Without water, power, or food delivery, this concrete and steel relic didn't have anything to offer once the flu hit."

They watched the stark white ice chunks twirl and bow to each other in the glittering river for a while. When she couldn't take it anymore, she broke the silence. "It isn't fair."

Wolf glanced her way but all he said was, "Few things ever are. But what specifically are you referring to?"

She pressed her forehead against the glass, letting the cold bite into her skin. "It isn't fair that the people who are missing have families and loved ones back home. Here we are, a bunch with no one depending on us, coming out of it just fine."

He ran a hair through his dark hair. "If you think no one would cry over your grave Alisha, you are sorely mistaken."

She frowned, biting the inside of her lip. She could just remind him that she was Lieutenant Granderson to him and stop this conversation all together before it got any more personal, but she needed to absolve at least some of her guilt. Otherwise tomorrow she'd be paralyzed by the load. She sighed and tapped her head against the glass again. "I know. Once I got past what my mother and Hamada did, I could see that. But it isn't the same to have friends mourn you as it is to have family, blood or chosen."

He put his head on the glass too. "I played the same game when Bivas went. Until my parents died in a boating accident several year ago, I didn't have a vision of my future without them." He paused as if deciding how much to say. "But in the years since, I have learned to value my connections with others so much more. Before my parents died, I would have never let myself be so close with someone so young and female. I had my Mum and Dad and I didn't think I needed anyone else. But it turns out that it doesn't matter if you've known people for two days or two decades. They all put their mark on you and you on them. So you might as well be honest, say what you have to say, and let them be themselves with you. Now that I let people in, my family is bigger than I ever imagined."

His face creased as he spoke and she could see the depth of his belief. He wasn't placating her or putting her on. He was being 100% honest about his life's philosophy with a woman he'd only known for a couple months. What's more, he was completely aware that she was immune to his charms. She had been envious of his friendship with Bivas, just like she was of Kara and Danny's relationship, but right now, she could see that it wasn't the people she was jealous of, it was the connection. "It just seems so rare and precious to have someone so intertwined in your life. And I'm going to have to tell Kara." Her voice caught. "I'm going to have to tell her that I couldn't save Danny."

"And she's going to be glad that you are there, crying with her." His voice was hardly above a whisper, but the warm hand that enveloped her's was a clear message of comfort. She barely remembered the moments of Bivas death, being injured herself and attempting to revive Chung at the same time. But she did remember that he'd cried. Maybe that was why he'd adjusted so much quicker than Carlton.

Hoping to break up the solemnity of their conversation she nudged him with her shoulder. "If you're such an expert on human relations, how come you're not married with a passel of kids?"

"Who says I'm not?"

She gave a pointed eyebrow toward his bare ring finger where it rested over her hand. "If you are, it would be news to me."

"I've never met the right woman. But I will someday."

Alisha leaned back from the window so he could see her grin. "Oh you silly romantic man. Less than 10 percent of world's population believed to have survived and you still have confidence that she's out there, you will meet, AND manage to woo her?"

His grin matched her's. "It's not silly at all. I've already seen several romances spring up out of the ashes. I have to believe mine will too." He wagged a finger at her. "You know what's silly? Being interested in someone, knowing she's interested in you, and not going after what you could have together. You said it yourself, life's not fair. It would be a shame to miss that opportunity."

A certain infuriating red haired civilian came to mind and Alisha sighed. "We'll tear each other to shreds and leave behind a pool of blood."

"But will you enjoy the bloodletting?" he challenged.

She supposed she would. "Maybe? Probably? But.."

Wolf turned away from the view and leaned on the glass, crossing his long legs at the ankles. "But what? Are you afraid that she'll reject you? So what if she does? It won't be the worst thing that's happened in your life, but it could be the best."

"I thought the best thing had already happened to me. Before the flu I had a girlfriend I loved with my everything. We had been together a long time." When he just stared at her, unwilling to let her off the hook, she tried again. "We were going to start a family after this trip. I was so happy."

"And what? You don't think you deserve to be happy again? You said it yourself, it isn't fair. Maybe you get two true loves in your life, maybe some people get none. You're right, it isn't fair. But you know what else isn't fair? Denying yourself the chance to find out." He pushed off the window. "Don't fight it, you know I'm right. I didn't save your life today for you to go wasting it." The deep groves of his smile lines took the sting off his tirade.

"Yeah, yeah, you might be right." Her watch chimed the hour. Waving toward where Mason was wiping sleep from his eyes and Miller was sprawled on the floor she told him, "Listen fairy godmother, I'll think about it. But first we have to get home in one piece. So go, get your beauty rest. I've got an eye on things for now."


	13. Chapter 14

My tools for saving the world...100 sheets of Ampad paper, a 0.5 mm Pentel P205 pencil, and a Staedtler gum eraser. It's also how I planned this story.

**Grieve My Mind, Furry Lewis**

It was nearly 2 AM and Kara's limbs felt like lead weights sinking into the bed but somehow her eyelids were perfectly buoyant. The darkened ceiling still contained the same sprinkler node, smoke detector, and HVAC vent as five minutes ago. She could hear a few people coming and going out in the hallway from the overnight watch, but mostly it had been dead silent for at least two hours. Her best friend outside of Danny might have just died a horrible death today and here she was irritated over a little lost sleep.

Kara, probably more than anyone, understood how evil Amy Granderson's regime had been. And Alisha was a bone fide hero in her book. She'd stood up for what was right in Baltimore, against her own mother. It wasn't fair that she should now fall to another case of treachery. She and Danny had planned to make Alisha Flutter's godmother but really, she was family already.

She had made it through dinner, picking at her beans and rice, and then she had come home and cried herself to sleep. But since she had woken around 11, she had been just laying there trying to come up with plausible scenarios where they had not died some horrible death involving bullet wounds, explosions, and drowning. She hadn't been successful. Every possibility she imagined had a flaw. They were almost certainly gone.

Her stomach had been growling for a while so she gave up on sleep, at least for the time being. She padded to the small kitchen and examined the fridge. She had bought a few snacks down at the trading market but the granola bars and packets of nuts on hand didn't appeal to her in the slightest. She needed something crunchy and salty but also gooey and satisfying, something a little messy. Nachos, that's what she really wanted. She eyed the door. This wasn't a ship. There were no rules about casual wear in the dinning room. Then she glanced back at the bed. The rumpled sheets hinted at hours more tossing and turning. Before she could change her mind she slipped into her sneakers, tied her hair into a messy knot, and buttoned Danny's shirt over her Fleet Week 2012 tee shirt.

She took the stairs and exited without going through the lobby. The guard there was leaning against the building but he straightened up when he saw her. "Ma'am"!

She acknowledged him with a faint "At ease." But she didn't stop to talk. The news of the attack hadn't gone around yet but she didn't want to talk to anyone until there was confirmation. It was going to be too great a blow to morale all around.

The dining area was nearly empty except for a few enlisted men refilling coffees. She could hear the clink-clink of dishes from the midnight meal being stacked so she marched right on in the swinging doors to the kitchen. A young man in a red Nathan James galley tee shirt looked up from where he was sorting clean silverware into cannisters for the breakfast line. "Ma'am! What can we get you?"

She suddenly felt a little embarrassed. Although officers weren't restricted to scheduled mealtimes on the ship, they usually stuck to what was left out between meals rather than trouble the already hard working kitchen staff. "Uh, I am sorry to bother you but I couldn't sleep. Is there any chance I can get something like nachos or chips for a snack?"

The young man eyed her pregnant belly, much more obvious without her uniform jacket to disguise her roundness. "Well, I don't know what we have to put on them, but come on back and the prep guys can help you." To her surprise, the kitchen staff were able to round up a pretty respectable plate of nachos from things they had on hand.

"I really appreciate it guys. I won't make this a habit." She took the metal pan they had heated them on and headed for a table by the outside windows. As she picked at the cheesy pile she tried to draw deep breaths and release her tension. It was hard to believe that just this morning she'd been sitting here laughing with Val and Kat about cell phones and babysitting.

She pulled a cheesy chip off the stack and munched. Something about cell phones stuck in her head. Val had said it wasn't likely that they would get reception unless they happened to be in an area that had restored their service. Still, she had tried calling all their phones this afternoon. And after Danny had described the gunfight and explosion she'd forgotten about the phones. She was lifting another chip to her mouth when it occurred to her that Val never really denied putting trackers on more than the radio.

A tiny sliver of hope crept into the back of her mind. If they were able to move, surely they would still have their phones. Alisha kept hers in her thigh pocket of her utility uniform and she took it every where. Excited, Kara pushed back from the table and headed toward Val's room.

Five minutes later, she huffed and puffed as she climbed the last flight of stairs. Even though Flutter was still just the size of a lemon, he or she already seemed to be taking up some of her lung space. She had meant to come over to this building several times since they arrived in St. Louis. Most of the enlisted were staying here as well as some of the civilians working with them. She'd never made it over though so when she entered the lobby she was glad to find that a room off the mail hall had been designated as a goat locker. A petty officer standing guard outside was able to direct her toward Val's room on the fourth floor. Unfortunately, the elevator hadn't been restored like it had in her building.

She paused outside the door to catch her breath. She had no idea if Val had a private room or not but at least there was a light on under the door. Squaring her shoulders, she stepped closer to knock.

She never got the chance because the door was flung open. Val looked her up and down. "Foster-Green! You'll have to excuse the mess, I wasn't expecting company tonight." She waved Kara through the door. Kara was hit with an unmistakable musty smell as soon as she stepped over the threshold. She took in Val's ripped heather gray capri sweats, pineapple bun, and knee length toe socks featuring a different rainbow color for each toe and concluded that she wasn't sleeping, but she hadn't been working either.

"How did you know I was out there?"

Val shrugged. "Pressure sensor." Kara turned back toward the door. From this side she could see a thin wire emerging under the door frame and attached to a small device that looked like an old cell phone.

She shook her head. "Has anyone ever told you you're crazy?" Val just grinned as if that was a compliment. Her hotel room was older than Kara and Danny's but it appeared to be a similar design with a small kitchenette on the front wall and the bedroom near the windows on the outer wall. Val didn't appear to have much interest in cooking though. Every surface was covered in electronics and every outlet had a power strip or charger attached to it. How had she acquired so much hardware so quickly, Kara wondered. Just a few weeks ago she'd left the oil platform with only her laptop bag and the clothes on her back.

"So, I suppose you've come to ask me if I might have illegally lojacked anything other than the radio today, like say a certain lieutenant's cell phone?"

Kara's eyes shot to her's. "That is exactly why I came here. Did you?"

"Now that we had our little meeting with Judge Siskin this afternoon, I feel I ought to remind you that any information gathered from such an operation would be illegal. You have to promise me you will not implicate me. You cannot divulge how you learned what you might learn."

As she was talking she led Kara into the center of what was supposed to be the living room. It was practically unrecognizable now. There was a workbench and stool where a coffee table had probably resided before. The top of the workbench was cluttered with tools and bits of wire. A bright orange extension cord was duct taped to one side and a soldering iron was plugged into it. Several computer monitors were hung on the wall opposite the stool and Val pulled over a keyboard, turning down the vaguely Bollywood music she had been playing. She looked expectantly at Kara, her fingers suspended over the keyboard. "So, Do you still want me to break the law for you?" She smirked.

Kara looked at the electronics clutter all around the room. "You probably have this on camera or something so I can take the fall as the ranking person if you're ever caught, don't you?" Val shrugged one shoulder but her eyes stayed fixed on Kara. "I'm surprised you haven't checked your trackers already. I was under the impression you were quite interested in the health and wellbeing of a certain member of the group."

Val didn't fall for it. "Officially, I know nothing." Kara wondered if she was being cautious because of this afternoon's stern warning by Judge Siskin, because she had been duped so thoroughly by the Ramseys, or because she was feeling a little paranoid edge."

She nodded, without saying anything aloud. Val's eyebrow ring twinkled in the harsh verhead light as she raised a brow and waited. "I simply cannot proceed unless I am under orders." And then she sat patiently blinking at Kara, her expression neutral.

After a moment of staring at her in disbelief, Kara threw up her hands. "Fine, I want you to show me your magic map so I can go to bed not so worried that my friend has died!"

"There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Val's fingers flew over the keys and the orange map from this afternoon appeared on one of the monitors. Kare instantly recognized, with a sickening rise of acid in her throat, that the blue dots representing the locations of the comm kit hadn't changed from that morning. A few seconds later a new series of white dots appeared on the screen. They were much more widely spaced than the blue ones, but they followed the same trail, except there were three at a location on the Detroit side of the river that were nowhere near the blue dots.

Val sat back on her stool, spinning the seat idly side to side, waiting for Kara to comment. "These three here, can you display the timestamps?" Behind her, she heard the click of the keys and then the times were there on the screen, 1700, 2100, and 0100 hours. Her breath caught. They were alive! Kara fisted her hand over her mouth as a half a sob escaped her.

"Now I want to warn you, there are all sorts of reasons why her phone might not be on her person anymore. It doesn't mean she's al.."

"Shut up Val." Kara turned toward her, her face a mix of smile and tears. Val was grinning back at her from ear to ear but as soon as she saw Kara's tears she hoped off her stool and came and put her arms around her.

"You're right. I'll shut up." Her hug was warm and genuine. And even though Val's hair stank and neither one of them was a hugger in the first place, Kara was so unbelievably grateful in that moment, she gave her a tight squeeze back.

"Thank you Val. Thank you so much."

Val nodded, a faint blush stunning her cheeks. "I won't say it was nothing, but of course, this kind of thing has to be invisible so that's practically the same." They shared a nervous giggle.

"Ok then. I am so relieved." Kara looked at the map more closely. Can we pinpoint where they are? It's somewhere close to the tunnel entrance, isn't it?"

Val stepped back to her keyboard. "Not exactly. It's in the general area of a casino, a few hotels, the federal buildings, the courthouse and a bunch of other possibly secure locations. And with the timing what it is, I really can't say much about their condition, only that her phone moved. So there's hope."

Kara swallowed past a lump in her throat. Hope would have to be enough for tonight.

"I was fixing to get out some oreos when you showed up. Want a late night snack?"

Kara smiled. "Thanks, but I better get home and let my baby rest. I have to figure out how to direct help their way tomorrow without ever letting on that I know."

Val nodded and led her to the door. "If there's any changes at 4 or 9 you'll be the first to know." Opening the door, she leaned heavily on the knob for a moment. "I've been wracking my brain all day and night for some way to communicate with them. If you get any ideas, message me right away. I doubt I'll be sleeping."

Kara could see that it was the truth. Val always looked a little disheveled, but tonight she also looked worn down in a way Kara hadn't seen since the first few days after she arrived from the oil platform. The bed Kara had seen from the living room was perfectly made up and the couch area had been littered with sheets of light green graph paper, bearing labels like "Communication Plan #1" and "Rescue Contingency #2".

"Get some sleep yourself Val. We can't do anything tonight and we'll need our wits tomorrow. The best thing we can do is be ready for anything."


	14. Synergize 145 - Superstition

**Superstition, Stevie Wonder**

Alisha stood in front of the truck Cruz had commandeered from the parking garage in the wee hours of the morning. It was already 0700 but the winter sun was just barely beginning to make it bright enough that she could read the road atlas Mason had found under the front seat. By her calculations, they could be in Toledo in less than an hour, Cleveland in about three hours if the roads were clear. If Lieutenant Green was still alive on the other side of the tunnel, he was going to have to get transpo back from Ontario to this side, she figured those were the likely landing spots since they had been on the original itinerary.

The clack-clack of two cans of spray paint drew her attention to the middle of the interstate. "With all due respect Ma'am, but do you really think this will work? I am not sure how comfortable I am with defacing public property." Miller removed the orange cap on the spray can in his hand as he spoke.

Cruz and Wolf exchanged a glance. Alisha was sure that later on there would be a reminder from one of them about not questioning a officer. She supposed she ought to be offended but it was hard to get worked up when she was feeling 50/50 about the idea herself. "Does she have to make it an order? This should be fun. Come on Baby Bird, haven't you ever tagged anything?" Cruz challenged. "I thought you were an artist?"

She had to cover her mouth with one gloved hand. It wouldn't do for the commanding officer of the team to be caught laughing at the horrified look on their most junior member's face. "Of course not! I have always been a law abiding citizen." Miller looked to Mason for help but he got none in that quarter. "Have you?"

Mason shrugged. "Sure, looks like you need to go remedial middle school."

Wolf pointed to the pavement. "Seriously Miller. Sometimes even the most chivalrous knights have to get off their noble steeds and get their hands dirty. It's as cold as a witch's teat out here and I am already hungry for second brekkie. What do you want to do more, spend hours freezing your balls off out here while we have a legal discussion, or get hooked up with the rest of the team? 'Cause I sure as hell don't want to trot on home to Chandler without completing the mission."

Alisha sighed and pushed her hands deeper into her jacket. She probably should have just barked an order at him in an imitation of Slattery, but that just didn't feel right for her. Now she saw why he often gave orders and then turned his back or walked away. That way there was no opportunity for discussion. "Just get painting Miller. We need to get on the road. Mason's waiting for you to outline."

His eyes widened slightly at her forceful tone but at least he stopped arguing. Shoving up the sleeve of his utilities, he bent over to trace out the block letters for the message they had come up with. Mason followed behind and filled in as best he could. It wasn't exactly a secret message, but she was pretty sure that if Green's team either drove this way or came by air they would get it. And she was afraid that if they took too much time to search around for a radio station they might get left behind. Five people on the ground in unknown territory and with only one rifle between them was a situation she wanted to end as fast as possible.

Twenty minutes later they were back on their way to Toledo. Cruz drove, Wolf behind him with rifle, still of dubious use since the only ammo they had may have gotten wet, across his knees. Alisha had the middle seat on account of her short legs. One thing was for sure, she'd never be jealous of the special teams for their time away from the ship again. No siree, it was certainly not like the vacation she'd imagined. Wolf took out a pair of binoculars and passed them up to Miller. Miller looked up from where he had been leaning against the outside window. "My damn head hurts." But he accepted the glasses and put them up to his face.

"Better than the alternative" Cruz chided gently. For a minute they were silent, but Alisha was sure they were thinking of Chan and of course Danny's entire team.

Finally Miller broke the silence. "I'll heal. What should we be looking for? Antennas? Satellite dishes? Airports?"

"Yes, all that, mate. And since it took so long to get off your high horse and paint, maybe lunch."

Cruz laughed. "Yeah, I could go for a nice greasy burger right about now. Oh, and holler if you see any towers or dragons or castles. I'll stop and see if there are any damsels in distress for you to save so that you can restore your honor throughout the kingdom."

Mason covered his mouth but a small laugh escaped anyway. Miller ducked his chin, clenched his jaw, and looked up from behind his lashes to slap the back of Mason's seat. "Ha ha, very funny."

His sheepish face reminded Alisha of how Val had looked in her first days on the ship. She had tried so hard to hold her chin high, all tough as nails and not afraid of anything. But in that moment when the ship lurched beneath her feet and she'd looked to Alisha for help, Alisha had been the one acting out of fear. She'd let her fear of besmirching her own honor keep her from showing compassion to the newcomer. A frisson of shame at how she'd treated the other woman wormed its was up her spine. Perhaps she should offer an olive branch when she got back, maybe take Val out for coffee and see how she was adjusting to St. Louis. She nudged Miller with her elbow. "Hey, just use your best judgment and tell me if you see anything at all that you think might help us."

He didn't turn her way, but he nodded and lifted the field glasses to his eyes. "Will do Ma'am."

Danny scanned the field of ice chunks and debris bobbing down the river with despair. There was no sign of the missing team despite Kara's 0600 call insisting that they were alive. He had never known her to rely on her gut, preferring to let facts and logic rule her decisions, but she had been adamant that they search Detroit and points south for signs of them. "I had a dream that they had survived and Alisha had called me on her phone to tell me where she was. She was near a casino and she wanted someone to come pick up her team. It was so real that I began questioning the assumption that they were in the tunnel when it blew." She had made him promise to accept the possibility that they were alive and at least do a cursory search. He hated to think that she was letting wishful thinking color her judgment but the Canadians had made several passes looking for survivors yesterday and they had come up empty handed. Something about the tone of her voice told him she wasn't telling him the whole story. Still, he wasn't going to make her give him an order. He would do it, just so she knew he'd listened and trusted her.

There had still been several bodies spotted in the swift current by the Canadians on a few flyovers of the downriver Detroit area that morning, but they had all been wearing the royal blue parkas of the separatists, not the aquaflague utilities of the Navy people. Danny figured Dingo team must have been too close to the blasts, either on purpose, or by being chased back into the tunnels by the separatists.

It had taken a while to get the team organized for the return to the US this morning. On top of their dampened spirits, William had wanted to feed them a hearty breakfast and make sure they were well supplied. Yesterday's search teams had reported that the area where their vehicles had been was demolished, so they were truly starting from nothing. William had volunteered food, additional weapons, and equipment so all they needed to do now was pass back to the US side and locate suitable vehicles. Still, he hesitated to call off the search.

He tried to let the vibrations of the Cyclone rumble through him like some kind of bizarre massage machine but it was fruitless, he wasn't going to be able to relax until they were back in St. Louis. His headset crackled to life. "We're going to turn into the suburbs for a ways, check out the highways going out of the city."

"Copy that."

He caught Michener's questioning eye on the seat facing him. "Nothing sighted Mr. President. We're still planning to locate cars and move on."

Behind him, Tex was scanning the horizon with binoculars so Danny let himself lean back into the seat and close his eyes. He hadn't been able to sleep overnight and his eyes felt crusty and tired even though it wasn't even 9 AM. He breathed in deep. Despite Kara's mysterious feeling that they were still alive, so far there was no evidence. He was going to have to force himself to accept it. He clenched a fist, using the tension in his muscles as something to focus on, instead of letting his emotions show on his face.

It felt like just five seconds later that Tex was shaking him by the shoulder. "Wake up Green!" Tex nudged him with the binoculars. "Take a look out the starboard window. That's the second one of those paintings that I've seen along this highway."

Danny scanned the roadway beneath them. In neon orange he could just make out the words. "Come see the dingos at the Toledo Zoo?" He read out loud. "You say there have been more than one of these?" His heart began to pound. Who else would paint something like that?

"It's painted on top of the snow and there's tracks around it. That's fresh alright."

Danny turned on his mic to call the pilot. "Have you seen any activity on the road near here?"

The reply came back immediately. "You think those are messages for you?"

He hoped he wasn't being delusional just because he wanted it to be true so badly. "I sure as heck hope so. How close to Toledo were you planning to set us down?"

There was a pause and he wondered what conversations were going on that he wasn't party to. When the pilot finally returned to reply, he was almost holding his breath. "We got plenty of fuel and we're authorized to take you as far as we can do safely, so if you can help get my NAV a landmark nearby, I can get you to the zoo." There was a scramble of activity to pull out a map and figure out where to go, but 40 minutes later they were landing in the parking lot of a supermarket only a quarter mile from the zoo.

"Burk, you'll stay here with the civies and Mittens. See if you can find a car lot up the road that way. We meet back here in an hour. Simpson-Slattery and his team will accompany me to investigate." Danny waved to Garth and they set off at a quick pace. A faded billboard announcing a new mudhen enclosure pointed the way to the zoo's main entrance.

Toledo appeared completely different from Detroit. Everywhere he looked there were signs of life, from the footpaths worn into the fresh snow on the sidewalks to the shop fronts with signs that said things like "Tired of canned tuna? We have smoked whitefish." As they jogged down the street, Danny saw that several store fronts had been clearing away the snow from their parking spots on a regular basis. They cut through the back parking lot of a subway and he swore he could smell the bread and his mouth watered.

There was one vehicle parked in front of the ticket booth so Danny raised a fist and brought the group to a halt. He signaled to Simpson-Slattery and they split sides, taking cover behind signboards proclaiming a special bird exhibit. Findley crowded in behind him awaiting an order. "You cover me and I'll approach the gate." Findley nodded sharply and began scanning the sides of the driveway as they walked forward between the pine hedges. There was no sign of anyone, but he couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched.

Danny cradled his rifle and was about to make a dash for the ticket booth when a familiar accented voice called out. "Tag you're it. Weapons down, hands up!" He stopped short and looked around but he didn't see Wolf anywhere.

Alisha, Cruz, Miller and Mason emerged from behind the building. "Sorry Sir. We didn't recognize the helos so we thought it best not to reveal our location until we were sure it was you." Alisha was smiling, but at the same time he sensed her unease at having had a gun pointed at him as her gaze shied away.

He recalled Kara saying once that she was one of the sharpest people coming up the chain on the Nathan James, but she hadn't had much experience outside of day to day operations. "Actually, I was just going to tell you that it was a good idea. After yesterday, I think your caution is well placed." Although Granderson had a tendency for formality, he couldn't help but give her petite frame a quick hug. He also hugged Cruz for good measure and shook Miller and Mason's hands, slapping them on the back. "You don't know how relieved we are to see you. Until we saw the message on the highway, we thought you all drowned yesterday." As he said it, he peered up into the overhanging branches trying to locate Wolf.

"On your left Mate." He'd already looked there so he was quite surprised when six feet of camo clad man rose up off the roof of the picnic pavilion. "Chimney." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the fieldstone chimney behind him. "Even if you looked closely you would have had trouble seeing more than than the barrel of my gun." Wolf sat down at the edge of the roof and swung himself down to the ground. "So now that we're found, any chance you'd let us stop to get some lunch before we get back on the road again? I know they are probably an endangered species or something, but from up on the roof I could see some fat little duck-chicken things over there that look like they would cook up nice on a spit."

Danny spied Garth craning his neck to look behind the guard shack. He shot a questioning look to Wolf. "You teaching Goodwin and Chan some of your skills?"

Wolf's gaze immediately flew to Alisha's. "You want me to make the report?" Fuck, Danny began to lose his appetite. Taking his first casualty report wasn't exactly a milestone he'd been looking forward to.

Alisha stepped up at attention. "Sir. I can make the CASREP at your convenience."

"Now, better do it now."

"Private First Class John Chan, dead. Shot in action while attempting to shield an officer. Lieutenant Will Mason, minor injury fit for duty, bullet wound sustained in combat. Seaman Eric Miller, minor injury fit for duty, possible concussion sustained in evac." They both looked fine, although now that he looked closer, Miller did have a bruise showing just under his hairline and Mason had a small rip on the sleeve of his jacket. Alisha looked at her hands, clasped at waist level, instead of directly at him and he wondered if she blamed herself for whatever had happened to Chan and Goodwin.

"What about Goodwin?" Alisha winced. Cruz bit his lips. Mason and Miller both looked at the ground. Wolf was the only one to show any emotion and he looked…angry? Confused, Danny looked expectantly at Alisha.

She squared her shoulders. "Specialist Thérèse Goodwin, possible desertion of duty at approximately 1100 hours, yesterday. Missing and presumed dead." Throughout it all, her delicate features were frozen in a stoic mask. There was no doubt that she was her mother's daughter. But when she raised her eyes to his again, he was reminded how much more compassion was behind her every action.

Private Findley broke the stunned silence by shouting. "You're lying!" His brows narrowed and he raised a clenched fist toward Lieutenant Granderson. "I don't believe it. I've served with those two for months without even a hint that they weren't 100% Thérè even intervened in a knife fight to help me once. That's not something someone does if they are planning on crossing you later!"

"Get a hold of yourself Sean." Garth's voice was quiet but the arm he held out to hold Findley back was firm. "Lieutenant Granderson would not make such accusations without good evidence."

Danny raised his hand, palm down. "Calm down everyone. This is very disturbing news for us all." He remembered how hard it had been to even comprehend Frankie's suicide. They were best friends, and even months after the event he still couldn't reconcile it with the man he'd known for 10 years. "We all know that this plague brings out parts of people we never expected." He ran a hand through his hair. "You'd better give me the details."

Granderson filled him in on what had happened while Findley glowered and Simpson-Slattery's shoulders sank as if weighted with the actual body of PFC Chan. Alisha's description of the events confirmed the Canadians' assumption that the attackers were a group that had been dogging William and his men for months. "I don't know how, but Goodwin was in on it. She described herself as a mercenary and the group that cornered us treated her as an outsider, so I don't think she had been working with them long. They were after William and pissed when they found out we were just a small detachment meant to distract from his and the President's escape." Alisha confirmed. "Nothing indicated that Chan was working with them. He submitted when their leader ordered him to hand over the radio controls, but then when the leader got angry at Will for refusing to give him the access code, he threw himself in front of him, undoubtedly to saving his life."

"And that's when you called the retreat into the safe room?"

"Well, I didn't call it exactly. Chief Taylor threw the flashbangs and we all just ran for it. I, uh, I probably should have done something, but I didn't think of it." Alisha blushed modestly.

Wolf interrupted. "You did pretty damn good, considering how far out of your element that was. And no one would fault you for being scared out of your wits when someone had a gun on you."

"You did fine Lieutenant." Danny was quick to reassure her. "When we get back to St. Louis you can submit a formal recounting of the event to the CNO and he will decide how to classify Goodwin. Until then, we need to regroup, get food, and get back on the road."

The reunion lunch was a strange affair. The Subway had bread, cheese, and tuna, but no other meats and very few veggies. No one complained, but the owner's embarrassment at serving the President a cheese and onion sandwich was palpable. Michener, for his part, did his best to reassure the man that they'd all grown used to the uneven food supplies and asked for his suggestions, as a food service professional, about how to not only repair the US distribution system, but make it more resilient than before.

The small restaurant could only accommodate a few of them at once so as soon as they finished, Danny took Burk and Simpson-Slattery outside to organize the next leg of the trip. Afterward, he leaned against the building and watched as people came out and small groups gathered near the cars Burk had collected. Kara thought the mole couldn't be one of the people they'd picked up in Chicago, but suddenly he was seeming potential enemies everywhere. Did Findley or Simpson-Slattery have any connection? They had taken it on their word that the group had spent the fall in West Virginia. He looked over to where Simpson-Slattery was quietly consoling Findley. He had a hard time imagining him as a traitor. If he'd been in on it, why help Michener escape at the other end of the tunnel? He could have just as easily claimed a technical problem with his explosives and trapped them all there. No, he might keep a closer eye on all their people from now on, but he still had no reason to suspect any one in particular could be selling them out.


	15. Chapter 15

**Walk Away, Joe Walsh **

The ringing of the phone in Kat's hotel room caught her off guard. She hadn't known it worked at all. Plus, who called on a landline anyways? She had been getting ready to do her laundry and trying to decide if it would be ok to wear her undershirt and sleep shorts while taking her stuff down to the washing machines. She only had 3 outfits and she'd like to wash them all at once. Assuming the call was a mistake, she dropped her load on the bed and reached for the receiver.

"Uh, hello?"

"Kathleen! It's your old man." A flash of several emotions assaulted her. On the one hand, the sound of his voice made her so happy. On the other hand, her worry over him these last few days had turned to anger.

"Where are you Dad!" She demanded. "I've been worried sick."

Tex gave a nervous laugh. "Oh Kit Kat, you don't need to worry. You know I'm harder to kill than a wily old coyote."

She scoffed. "That's exactly the kind of thinking that will get you killed. Seriously though, where are you? Commander Green wouldn't really say, but I know something happened in Detroit yesterday. She came in all red eyed this morning and sent me home."

"Sometimes you are so like your mother." He sighed. "We had a little trouble, but I am fine. We're in Cleveland. We actually got some phone service here, so I thought I'd call and see how things are going, what you been doing, that sort of thing. I don't suppose you have cell service going in St. Louis yet."

"No, but Val says she's close to hacking the tower on top of the Hyatt."

"Val huh? That's who you're hanging out with? Well if you're getting out of your room and staying out of trouble, I suppose it doesn't matter."

She rolled her eyes. She supposed it was too much to expect that he'd have any idea what she was doing, or even what interested her in general. She should just be pleased that he asked. "Uh, well, I hear about what she's doing through Commander Green. I've been helping her out a bit, in her office and stuff." She wondered if he had any idea that his messages had been intercepted. Val and Kara had been all in a tizzy about one from Ontario until they got Lieutenant Green's call yesterday.

"You're a secretary? Somehow I thought you'd be doing something more active. I didn't know you were in to that? They paying you a fair wage?"

He was trying. He really was. She told herself. "Not really into it, but I'm getting paid in internet access, since you stole mom's computer and I have no other way to reach out to old friends!" She said the last with a little bit more bitterness than she'd anticipated.

"Sorry Kitty Kat. A dad's gotta do what a dad's gotta do. Besides, I think these days it would be wiser to cultivate some new friendships, in person, you know. You meeting any young people? Got a new boyfriend?"

Ugh, like the first thing any teenage girl wanted to discuss with her dad was a boyfriend. "No Dad, no boyfriend."

"Well maybe you should get one? Then I wouldn't worry about you so much when I'm away."

She wrinkled her nose. Sometimes it was hard to believe that her independent, hard as rocks mother and Tex had ever tolerated each other. But she knew they had more than tolerated each other, they had been deeply in love. Even after her Dad had disappeared for three years and her mom had set up shop with Court, she'd still pined for him. She might have hid it from everyone else, but not from her daughter. "Dad, that's so sexist. I can take care of myself already. You don't have to worry about me."

He laughed out loud at that. "Oh, Kitty Kat, someday you'll learn that parents worry even when they know perfectly well that their kids are alright. We start doing it from the day you're born and we won't stop until the day we die. But, taking care of yourself isn't a bad idea. You going to them Navy classes? Training for the first call-up?"

It was her turn to laugh. She'd known it was coming. "No, I don't think that's the life for me. As soon as we can, I just want to get back to normal."

Her father grunted. "Ain't no getting away from it now. You will be a grown woman before the world is back to normal." He paused and she knew he'd be smoothing a hand over his beard, thinking of how best to connect with her, exactly the way she needed to hear it. "Look, Kitty Kat. I get that you don't want the life your mom and I had. And I get that you don't want to join the Navy, but it might not be a bad idea just for a few years. Life is going to be chaotic for many years to come and the Navy would give you a home, a kind of family, never mind an income and three squares a day. Plus, the work can be very satisfying."

She had finished tossing her clothes on a towel to bundle up and carry to the laundry and throw in with the kids' so she plunked down beside them on the bed. "Is that why you do it, because the work is satisfying?" Once upon a time she would have asked out of anger, but now she was genuinely curious. She felt she ought to know these things about him, but she'd never asked, preferring to stew in her resentment at being left behind.

"I won't lie. I enjoy my work. And I get a certain satisfaction about knowing how many bad guys with bad plans I've been able to stop. But what motivates me is the idea that I'm making the world a little safer for you. Otherwise I'd probably be laying in the sun somewhere, with a beer, treating this whole flu thing like it was some giant holiday." He paused for a minute but she had the feeling he wanted to say more. When he did his voice was softer. "You know I missed you, every minute I was gone Kitty."

"I missed you too dad. And you should know, kids worry about their parents too. Even when they take their computers away."

"I know. I know. I remember how it was when I was little, back when the sun rose in the west. When I was 16, my Dad took away my motorcycle. I got in a little wreck and my Mama had already given me a piece of her mind. Next thing I know he's come home out of the blue. But he just left his old truck behind and rode off on it the next time he got work. I hated that man for months. Buuuuut, by the time I saw him again, I'd realized that he probably saved me from a premature death."

"I'm hardly a kid and I don't think writing stories and messaging people is likely to kill me." He was destroying all her bitterness over the computer with his happy go lucky attitude. It was almost impossible to argue with him. "Was your dad in the Army too? I didn't know you didn't see him often."

"Nah, my dad drilled oil wells for a living. He used to take off for months at a time to California or Texas or even Alaska. Sometimes the only way my mama knew where he was was by the address on the checks that arrived, every month like clockwork..just like the new babies, every other December. Times were different back then."

She supposed then that her loneliness must just be her own problem. Obviously he'd turned out ok. "You think Uncle Benny or Joey or maybe Aunty C are alright? I mean, some of them lived pretty far out. They could have stayed isolated. Maybe I should go look for them, see if I can help them in some way?"

"It's a nice thought, ain't it, family living by themselves in the high mountains, not needing anything, no support." Her father sighed. "But it's a fantasy Kathleen. Don't you go leaving St. Louis without me. I know you want to help. You got a generous streak a mile wide. But you got to channel that to the people around you now, not some imaginary people half way across a country that doesn't really even have phone service yet."

"Well, I have been helping with all those orphans from Florida. I hang out with them every afternoon so the older kids can do their training."

"Babysitting? They got a brilliant girl like you babysitting?"

He was trying. He really was. So she told herself to just grit her teeth and try back. "Yeah, actually, I kind of volunteered myself for it." She explained how she had introduced herself to Brie and been accepted into the group. "The kids are nice. It's still not too safe to be wandering around town so all I'd be doing otherwise is sitting in my room by myself, with no computer." She couldn't resist that dig. "At least this way I'm busy. Right now I'm getting ready to go take over the laundry room and see if I can reduce Ray's never ending pile. I might as well be productive in my boredom."

"Whoa now girly! You're doing their laundry? Kat, you do not have to work like that. I may not be getting paid in cash yet, but you are supposed to have complete access to food and anything you need. Do I need to call Chandler? Do not let this guy take advantage of you and foist all of those kids on you."

She was stunned for a moment. Half of her mother's complaints about her father had always been that he couldn't earn two pennies without giving three away. He didn't sound at all like the man her mother described. Unless.. "You have some kind of problem with Ray? He is a total jerk most of the time, but he really does need help with all those kids."

He father snorted. "Ray? No, he's a good kid. No doubt about that. But you careful Kathleen. You're going to be attached to those kids before they know it and them to you. One day you'll be home making babies and he'll be half way around the world, not telling you he's been shot or worse, all because he doesn't want you to worry about him."

"That from experience dad?"

"What do you think?"

"I think that it's nice to be attached to people and sad when they have to go, but that's what happens in life. They will get over it, so will I. And you're also crazy if you think Me with Ray is even a possibility. I love you dad, I really do. But I'm going to do all my baby making with someone who has a very boring and very local job. Maybe a nice farmer or plumber. I still want to have my own ranch you know."

Tex laughed. "You sound so much like your mother." But int he end he made her promise not to take on too much responsibility anyway. When they finally hung up, she sat on the bed for a little while, just thinking over his words. It seemed like every time she was introduced to someone new from the Nathan James, they told her how nothing would stop her father from trying to find her. She'd thought it was just a platitude, something people assumed because who would imagine the opposite, that such a seemingly nice man had gone off and made a life without his wife and kid? But now she wondered if she had been the one making assumptions all along.

Sighing, she gathered up her laundry. Tex would be home soon enough. Until then, she might as well get something done.


	16. Chapter 16 - Falling Rain Blues

**Falling Rain Blues, Little Willie Foster**

Ray idly sketched a plan for the final panel of his current comic on the back of a tour map for the Old Courthouse. Master Chief had assigned Ray and Colin to man the front desk for the afternoon but it was raining cats and dogs outside so almost no one had come in. All they had done for hours was watch the door and chew the fat. All Colin could talk about was the glimpse of Emma Slattery he'd gotten in the mess at lunch time. Ray hadn't seen her, but apparently she shared her dad's height and blond good looks.

Colin poked him. "Did you hear what I said?"

"Huh? What?" He looked up disoriented. He had been deep in thought, considering how to make it clear from his drawing that the evil fiend had been impaled by the very same sword that he'd used to terrorize the hero when he was just a child. One of the kids had penciled in an ending to his comic a few days ago. He should have been annoyed that they were messing with his sketch book, but they had written such a good story that he couldn't resist finishing the art to go with it.

"I was asking if you want to go check out that place up the street, Miss Kitty's? A bunch of guys are getting together to go and check it out tonight. I heard from a guy this morning that Slattery is renting a room there so maybe his pretty daughter will be make an appearance."

Ray turned his paper so he could shade in a bloodstain with the right shape strokes. "Ah, maybe another night. One of us has to hang out with the little kids and Dylan and Brie volunteered to help Mrs. Benson with the school pre-registration night at city hall."

Colin scowled. "The librarian is the one running that? I should have known. I still don't get why we are trying to get schools open. Do you really want to go back to school? School sucks."

Ray had spent summers working as a counselor with Colin for several years, but he'd never given much thought to what his life was like once summer ended. Ray used his finger to smudge some pencil into a cloud of evil soul leaving the villian on his final exhale. "You did graduate the 10th grade, right? Master Chief says we can just get a GED certificate. Everyone else has to go at least through the 10th grade 1st.

"Yeah, Yeah. I remember." But you know Miss Kitty's isn't really a boarding house, right? Get Kat to come over again. She can handle them. It will be fun. Besides, you need a little action. We can drink a little, maybe find a nice girl…" Colin put air quotes around the word nice.

"You want me to ask Kat to come over and stay with the kids so that we can go to a whorehouse? No way am I doing that. That chica hates my guts bad enough as it is. You can ask yourself, but I don't think that's going to go over well."

Colin shrugged and boosted himself up on the edge of the counter. "Your turn to stand." Ray tucked the paper back into his pocket. He'd work on that later. "Miller really wasn't kidding when he said half of service was just standing around, waiting for something to happen."

As Ray took his position at the front of the desk, the front doors opened, admitting a portly man that he recognized as the Mayor. Several people followed through the door in his wake, admitting a damp draft that brought goosebumps on his forearms. "Mr. Diaz!" He was shocked that the mayor recognized him, never mind remembered his name but then he noticed that the man was staring at his hastily printed USN nametag. "What are you doing here? I thought you ran an orphanage?"

Flustered, it was all he could do to stutter, "Well, we've got to earn our suppers somehow."

Colin stood up behind the desk. "Mr. Mayor, hello. Colin Wiedermeier." He stuck out his hand and the Mayor shook it while raising one brow toward Ray.

"Ah, Colin is part of our group. We're training so we can join the Navy when we turn 18."

Oliver turned toward his entourage. "This is the kid I was talking about the other day." Turning back toward Ray he asked "So, are you going to be pre-registering your group for school tonight? We need as accurate a count as possible so that we can figure out where to open first."

Ray wondered what he had been saying about him. Hopefully it wasn't "Hey guys, you'll never believe this guy who came to a city council meeting hoping no one would notice he was just a kid." He cleared his throat. "Ah, yes sir. We were just talking about that. We will be registering 12. The kids will be really glad to have school again." Of course, as he said it a new list of problems occurred to him. They would need book fees and uniforms and lunches every day. How the heck was he going to manage that?

Oliver nodded with a rueful smile. "Well, they are kids so I daresay they won't be too happy about it! But we're trying to round up enough teachers as soon as we can. Now," He jerked a thumb toward his entourage. "Can you direct us to where we're meeting Chandler today?"

Colin passed over a sheet of paper and Ray scanned the list of meetings. "Looks like the West Courtroom Sir. Right this way." Something looked familiar about the neat cursive listing the schedule but he couldn't quite place it.

He was half way back down the hall from the courtroom when it fell into place. "Hey Colin, hand me that schedule again." He scanned the page. Yes, those were the same flowing oval letters and pointed hooks as whoever had written in his book. "Did you write this out earlier today?" He held up the paper.

Colin looked at him like he had three heads. "Why would I do that? It came from Commander Foster-Green's office."

"What came from my office?" Commander Foster-Green was coming down the stairs just then, along with Chandler and few others.

He righted himself from where he was leaning over the desk on his elbows. They had been told not to salute until they were official, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to at least look respectful. "Uh, just this schedule Ma'am."

Kara smiled. "Oh yeah, I have Kat write those first thing every morning. Sorry if it's not too readable. We're trying to save paper and ink because we can't exactly just go on line and order more toner from Amazon."

Ray's brows narrowed involuntarily. Why would Kat be writing in his notebook? And then he actually cringed. Did she know it was his? Had she told Commander Foster-Green what he was drawing? Colin came to his rescue. "No problem with it Ma'am. It's been very helpful in directing people where to go. In fact, the mayor is waiting in the West Courtroom now."

"Thanks Colin. See you later Ray." She crossed in front of the desk headed for the west hallway but paused, pulling her jacket closed around her. "When you guys see Kat tonight, could you tell her I said thanks again, for taking Emma Slattery and showing her around?"

Colin waved. "Sure thing."

After she'd disappeared behind the heavy wooden door of the courtroom Ray ticked the side of Colin's head.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"You don't just say sure thing to a Commander. You say Yes Ma'am."

"Oh for goodness sakes Ray, stop taking this so seriously. She knows us, we know her. Heck, she was passing on a personal message through us. I don't think she was offended."

Something Lieutenant Mejia had said the other night during their lessons rang in his ear. "Haven't you ever heard that it's easier to make good habits than break bad ones?"

"Jeez Ray, take a chill pill." Colin rolled his eyes and tipped back in his chair. "Now back to the business at hand. So the lovely yet bitchy Ms. Nolan is the babelicious Emma Slattery's newest BFF. I think we could use this to our advantage."

Ray had a sneaking feeling where Colin was going with this. "You mean your advantage?"

"Well, yeah." Colin admitted with a self satisfied smirk. "I'm not the guy who voluntarily saddled himself with 14 dependents after all." He put his arms behind his head and gave the chair a little swivel. "Besides, look at me, our children will golden Adonises."

Ray turned back toward the front doors, wishing that the day would end. Tomorrow was Sunday, the only day Master Chief gave them a break from PT, and he was looking forward to at least an extra hour of sleep. "If I were you Colin, I would forget that any of the officers have daughters and just focus on doing well in training."

Colin scoffed at the idea. "What's the point of doing anything if we have to live like monks? I for one would like some female company, if you know what I mean. You do know what I mean, right?"

"Of course I know what you mean. But I think there's more important stuff going on in the world right now than your quest to get laid."

"Something is wrong with you Ray. There's nothing int he world more important than that. The way I see it, the Earth needs to be repopulated. It is our duty to get with the ladies man!"

A booming voice interrupted them. "Mr. Diaz, Mr. Wiedermeijer! So nice to see you again." Commander Slattery emerged from the East hallway. "I see Master Chief has taken you in hand."

Colin was quick to reply. "Yes Sir. He's got us working every afternoon Sir."

Slattery scanned their unofficial uniforms. "Very good. I am here to relieve one of you from duty. As you know, my daughters and ex-wife have arrived in town with me. I need some help tonight, moving out so that they can use my rooms in the Radisson. Do you think you can carry some boxes for me? I've got to head over to the police headquarters and catch up on the issues with river trade since I've been gone. If you miss dinner I am sure Miss Kitty can scrape something up for you."

"Sure I can do it." Colin elbowed in front of him with a smirk of self satisfaction. "Do you think you can handle things here all by yourself Ray?" Ray knew it would be impolite to roll his eyes while talking with Slattery, but Colin was practically bouncing on his heels.

God he'd love to clock Colin on the nose, but knowing the kid, he'd manage to turn a black eye into something the ladies would fawn over. Plus, hitting him was unlikely to go over well with Slattery. "Sure, I got this." What he heck, let Colin wear himself out carrying boxes. Ray had enough of that while cleaning apartments this morning. Besides, he did not have time to go chasing after girls, even if they were as hot as Colin described. Tall blonds weren't his type anyway.

He settled back down behind the desk and reached for a pencil. He glanced at the schedule to confirm that there weren't any more meetings scheduled for the day. It was already 1610 hours after all. He had two hours to kill and no one to chat with now so he began setting up a panel of rectangles to frame a comic on his paper. He bet Kat would be able to write an amusing text for the image of Colin making a fool of himself over Slattery's daughter so he began to shade in the panels.

The swoosh of the outer door admitting someone out of the rain brought him up for air nearly two hours later. He was surprised to see that it was dark outside already. He glanced back at his drawing. What had started as the freckles the covered the redheaded Colin from head to toe had turned into a the smattering across the nose of none other than his earstwhile babysitter. Embarrassed, He quickly folded the paper and shoved it in his pocket.

"I'm here to let you go home." Lee Li shook water from an umbrella before leaning it against the side of the desk. He looked around the quiet building. A few people like Chandler and Lieutenant Foster-Green were still working upstairs, but mostly it was empty. Something in his expression gave Ray pause. He really should go to try to meet the kids for dinner before they terrorized Kat so much that she wouldn't come back tomorrow but..

"You sure you're ok here alone?" Ray had heard about Li's mother, and although he didn't know Lee or Betty Li much at all, he sympathized for the guy. Heck, he'd teared up about his own mother at least twice today and he had already assumed she was gone for months now.

Lee shooed Ray away from the desk chair and slumped into it. "Yeah, Rob is coming in as soon as he finishes helping Colin get Slattery's family get moved into the hotel." Ray wished he could see that. Colin and Rob would be falling all over themselves to get Emma's attention. Lee lifted a book. The cover was in Chinese. "Yeah I'll be fine. I found this at the library this morning, Scaring the Tigers." He looked down at the book and although he smiled, it didn't meet his eyes. "It's one my mother used to read to me all the time. My Chinese is pretty rusty so I'm hoping I remember the story well enough to work my way through it. You go have dinner with your family."

With his family…that did sound nice. "Well, alright." He reached over the desk and wrote the hotel's number and his room number on a post-it. "Just give me a call if Rob doesn't show. I can always come back over."

Lee already had his nose in the book. "Sure Ray. Seriously, I'll be fine. But, Uh, thanks man."


	17. Synergize 17 - End of the World

**The End of the World, Skeeter Davis**

It had been three PM by the time they pulled into Knoxville and Vince was beat. He hunched over his beer and the remains of a greasy rabbit stew and absorbed the conversations around him. The gravy was pretty bland but it was a nice change from the MREs they had been eating for the last three days. The former biker bar was dimly lit with candles, but it didn't look much different from the way it had the last time Vince was here, which had been some time in the early 80's. Beside him, Debbie Foster chatted up a haggard looking woman in her late 50s and across the room Peter was laughing with some guys who'd invited him to join in a game of pool.

"We just arrived from Nashville." The plump woman Debbie was talking with was saying. "We're trying to get to our hometown, up near Cincinnati."

Debbie frowned, her brow knit in concern. "Wouldn't it be easier to go north from Nashville? We've just come down from Blacksburg and all the passes between here and there are closed. Are we going to be able to get through from Nashville?" Vince groaned internally. They had already come farther south than they would have ordinarily in hopes that they could find a clear route through the Appalachians and into the Midwest. He pushed his stew away with a sigh.

"Oh yes, it's slow going but I-65 is clear going out of Nashville. But the President is coming through tomorrow and we didn't want to risk any trouble."

Debbie's brows shot up in surprise. "Trouble? You aren't afraid to get the cure, are you? Because I can assure you it is safe."

The woman nodded vigorously. "Oh yes. We got the contagious cure in Memphis, just before Christmas." Vince held his tongue. They'd run into a guy who claimed he had some kind of contagious cure back in Blacksburg. He wasn't sure he believed the guy, but he'd shook his hand anyways. He knew the risk he was accepting when they set off on this trip but he'd rather die doing something for Danny than hiding out on his boat.

"We started going north from Nashville, but when we saw all the trucks and stuff heading up the highway to meet the President, we thought there might be trouble so we changed our plans."

Vince's ears perked up at that. "Excuse me Ma'am." The woman looked between Debbie and Vince, blinking behind her thick glasses. "I'm Vince, Debbie's friend. Did you say tanks?"

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. Vince noticed she checked Debbie's face before replying. "Oh, I thought you were a right regular here? I'm Jeanne."

Vince put on a wide smile. Blending into a group was one of his most useful skills. Looking friendly wasn't quite as natural. "Nice to meet you Jeanne. It's like Debbie said. We're headed to St. Louis together. Anything you can tell us about the route would be very helpful."

"Well, we liketa go straight up 65, as you just said. My husband, Fred, he's the old one playing pool over there," She paused to give a wiggly finger wave to a heavyset man who stuck out like a sore thumb with his pressed oxford, khakies, and cable knit vest. "He wanted to see the President when he came through Nashville." She patted Debbie on the arm. "My husband's not so uh," she glanced over at Vince, "fit as yours. He saw all those trucks of Army guys heading up the highway and got worried. Decided that maybe we'll swing through St. Louis to see the new Whitehouse next time we go that way instead."

Debbie laughed, eyes darting to Vince's. "Oh Vince here is my ah..?"

"We're in laws." He supplied. Might as well call it what it was. No one had parented that boy more than he had over the years.

Debbie nodded. "Yes, that's right. My partner is that one over there. He's a softie too." She pointed out where Peter was playing pool with a group of guys. Vince wondered if she realized that Peter had just spent three games losing his pocket money on purpose. "He was afraid to make this trip alone. But so far it's been OK."

"But it sounds like we need to think about our route." Vince needed more info. "You sure they were Army guys and not just a bunch of guys wearing hunting gear?"

"I'm pretty sure. There must have been a few hundred o' them. They had 'em loaded on those trucks with canvas covers, headed up 65. And they had some big gun things they were towing and many of them were holding scary looking guns too. It was pretty un-nervung you know, seeing those guys on our soil, in the middle of our country. I mean, I know we have a giant military and all. But I always think of them being somewhere overseas, you know?"

"I know." Debbie patter her arm. "But I feel so proud whenever I see them following our flag. I know I'm safe then."

"These guys did not make me feel safe!" Jeanne exclaimed. "This wasn't like a parade with flags and a band. They were yelling at people to get out of the way and I even saw them wrestle a teenager out of a car nd hit him. I couldn't even figure out why."

"Green or brown camo?" Vince interjected. He had a feeling she wouldn't know enough to help, but he had to try."

"Brownish green?" She offered. She kept glancing over to check on her husband. "He would be able to tell you better. He's a retired policeman. Honestly, they all look the same to me."

"I know what you mean." Debbie sympathized even as a pained look crossed her face. "My first husband plus two kids in the armed forces and I could never tell a Desert Camo I from a Marpat II and so on."

They shared a laugh and Vince had a feeling that Debbie knew more than she was letting on. He was proven right when she asked "were the soldiers wearing brown or black boots?"

"I don't know that either." Jeanne pulled on a bit of her frizzy hair. If Vince had to guess, he'd say that she was probably the type to get a perfect dye job every 6 weeks like clockwork before the flu hit. "I guess I'd say..." She closed her eyes. "Probably brown."

"OK, so not Navy then." Debbie reassured her. "My daughter is a naval officer and I know her boots were black."

"Oh wow! Is she on the Nathan James then?"

"She was. She's expecting now so she has to stay ashore. That's why we're headed to St. Louis. I want to be with her when the baby comes." Debbie caught Vince's eye. "You remembered more than you thought you could. How about the camo? Most camo these days is a pattern of squares. Can you remember if this one was blocks of squares together or all individual squares?"

The woman shook her head. "No, no. It wasn't like that at all. It was rounded blobs of all different colors."

Vince sucked in a breath. "Shit!" At Debbie and Jeanne's shocked faces he apologized. "Sorry ladies. Those weren't our uniforms then."

He stood to slide off the barstool, and Jeanne shrank back. He wished women would stop doing that. Sure, he was still pretty damn fit for a man his age, but he was a nice guy. Just ask his last three wives! "We'd better get Peter. We'll want to make some new plans tonight I think." Vince nodded to Jeanne. "Nice to have met you Ma'am and good luck on your trip."

"And you too. I hope you meet up with your son and daughter in law in time." She smiled at him before turning to say goodbye with Debbie.

Vince sidled up to the pool table, giving Peter a nod to indicate that he needed to wrap it up soon. Peter was certainly in his element. Vince watched as he very skillfully made it look like he was just barely making his shots as he nearly cleaned up the table. "Well would you look at that. My beginner's luck finally sank in!" He laughed as he handed off the cue. "If you hadn't already saved me the gas money it would cost to have to turn around on I-65 and come back, I'd be mighty cranky I've only just now broken even."

The other man just chuckled as he just barely made a relatively easy shot. Peter threw two more shots before they reached the end of the game and he accepted a twenty from Fred.

"Give you another chance to win?" Jeanne's husband offered.

"Na, my friends and I have to get an early start tomorrow. But thanks for going easy on me." Peter shook hands with the other guys before turning to hang his cue on the wall.

"Hey, if you're still here tomorrow, come back and let us take more of your money!" Jeanne's husband joked.

Peter smiled and waved them off as he quietly said to Vince. "We've got problems."

They gathered in a dingy hotel room to share what they had found out. Debbie bustled around, clucking over the grayish towels and exclaiming in alarm over the sign on the bathroom mirror instructing occupants not to clean truck parts in their room. "So, we need to backtrack?" Peter asked. "I'm not interested in messing with Sam Houston's finest, that's for sure."

Vince looked surprised. "Is that what that guy Fred said? How did he know?"

Peter sat up from where he had been sprawled out on the faded yellow and red flowered coverlet. "Yeah, said one of the guys had on a hat with a crossed knife and gun on it that he recognized. He also got this flyer." Peter dug in his pocket and produced a folded up bit of paper. "I knicked it hoping it would be helpful."

Vince was impressed. He'd expected Peter to come running for help at the first sign of trouble. But despite their reluctance to undertake the trip to St. Louis alone, both Debbie and Peter had turned out to be pretty resourceful. "Let's have a look at that." They unfolded it. It was a map of the US with an Eagle drawn over it. One talon was grasping Washington D.C. and the other St. Louis. Underneath it said "Todos y mas."

The flyer had a date on it from three days ago and a number of shields and seals across the bottom. "What the heck are those symbols for?" Peter asked.

Shit on a shingle. "They are militia groups, aren't they?" Debbie looked expectantly at Vince. He recognized a few of the symbols as legitimate groups but most he did not know, which was not a good sign. His stomach sank. He was retired. He'd promised himself he wouldn't get sucked back in if he survived. But shit, shit, shit! That was the President out there, headed right for this, this, whatever it was and Danny would be right inthe middle of it.

"We need to get eyes on this." He told them.

Peter sat up, his back rigid and tense. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"I mean, we need to get up to where they are, find out what they are doing, and put a stop to it. I don't think they hauled heavy artillery all the way out there just to give the President a parade into Nashville, do you?"

Peter stood up and began pacing. "Who us? What the heck are we going to do? We need to warn the President and then stay out of the way."

"We'll decide what to do once we know what we're dealing with." Vince caught Debbie's eye. She was running the ends of her scarf through her hands over and over.

"But Peter, what if Kara or Danny is with the President? We need to do what we can." Vince watched as Peter weighed her words. He studied her face, his eyes looking into hers. Vince could see the conviction in hers. And he wasn't surprised. Her child, her only remaining child, might be at stake here.

Finally Peter threw up his hands. "OK! But we choose the least violent way whenever possible." He aimed his words at Vince.

"That's always the best choice Peter." Vince assured him. He pushed himself to his feet, mind churning with possible strategies. As he began throwing his kit back into his duffle bag he questioned Peter on what he'd found out.

Peter repeated back some of his conversation with Jeanne's husband. Fred had heard that the President had already left Columbus the night before. Vince growled and grabbed the phone book off a small desk. Flipping the greasy yellow pages he found the map in the front and tore the page out with a resounding rip. "We need to get the rest of the way over the mountains and see if we have enough phone service to call and warn them. If we can't reach them, we'll try to cut them off at Lexington." Vince began packing back up. "Come on. Let's load the car and make some coffee. It's going to be a long night."


	18. Chapter 18 - Little Birdie

It is such a beautiful day that I am posting this and then I am off to go back outside and dig in my gardens for a while. Nothing soothes my soul like gardening and after this week, I really need that. I love the sense of possibility that comes with gardening (and I'm not really a very good gardener so it's really all about possibility for me.) When I put in a plant and I've given it what I hope it needs, there's that period of watching to see if it makes it. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. At least with gardening you can always did the unfortunate plants out and start over. It's much less stressful than raising children.

**Little Birdie, The Stanley Brothers**

An hour later they were in a dark stretch when Vince's phone flashed in the center console. An icy fog drifted in and out of the trees on the side of the road looking still and peaceful. In contrast, the rumble of icy ruts beneath the car tires and the jarring bumps that occurred periodically as Vince tried to go as fast as possible without edging into unsafe territory were anything but peaceful. Every now and then they saw a deer or fox at the side of the road, but otherwise they might have been on the moon rather than a major highway.

In the passenger seat, Debbie squealed. "Service! We have cell service."

From the back Peter commented. "We should be coming into a town called Williamsburg. Doesn't look like much, but I guess they have a well positioned cell tower."

Vince pulled over. "Try calling Kara." he told Debbie. Her hands shook as she dialed.

"Hello?" Kara's voice was muffled and Vince was sure she had been asleep.

"Kara! Kara wake up." Debbie's voice was urgent. "This is very important."

"Mom? It's nearly midnight. Are you OK? What's the matter. I can contact someone in Norfolk fo..."

Debbie cut her off. "I'm fine, I'm fine. You're the one in danger. Where are you?"

Kara's voice rose and Vince pictured her sitting up in alarm. "In my hotel, in St. Louis. Mom? What's going on? Where are you?"

Debbie quickly related what they had learned. "I was afraid you were with the President." She concluded. "Do you know where they are? Can you warn them?"

"No, well maybe. Their radio and sat phone were both damaged in Windsor so we've been relying on cell and landline phones. Danny and Burk scouted ahead to Lexington yesterday and they were able to call me from there. I'll try to get them on the line as soon as we get off the phone here."

"OK. We're going to continue on to Lexington to try to alert them." Vince copied down the coordinates of the place they were staying and Kara's other contact numbers. He felt much better knowing they weren't working completely alone now, but he also worried. What if Kara couldn't get in touch with the team? They rolled through the town of Williamsburg without stopping. It was nearly a ghost town with no lights visible from the highway, but he did see the silhouette of the cell tower perched on a hill behind a shopping center. A little while later his phone beeped again to indicate that he had lost service.

By the time they came into cell service again, they were almost to Lexington. A dim glow was emerging on the horizon. Some parts of the road had been slick with black ice and others had uncleared snow that had formed icy ridges where previous cars had left tracks. Peter was driving now and he picked up speed as the ruts in the road became more visible allowing him to follow them instead of bouncing in and out in the dark. When the phone dinged to announce a message, Debbie sat up from where she'd been trying to sleep. "I give up." Debbie groaned from the backseat, rubbing her eyes. "I don't know if it's anxiety or the bumpy road, but I can't drop off anyway."

"Grab a pen in case Kara gives us new coordinates or phone numbers." Vince picked up his phone and clicked on the message symbol.

"Hi Vince, Mom, Peter." Kara's voice filled the car. "I have not been able to reach the group yet and I'm guessing you've lost that tower you were near before. I'm going to keep trying. My comms guy here thinks he might have a contact in Lexington that he can rouse on a radio. In the meantime, hurry. They were planning to leave for Louisville early in the morning so that they could do a lunchtime meet and greet and then move on to Nashville by the evening. If you can, let me know when you get this. Let's attempt to check in every hour."

Vince tried to return the call but there was only enough service for messaging. He tapped out a quick update and then pulled out a map to direct Peter toward the area the President's group was staying.

By 10 AM he was hungry, exhausted, angry, and worried. They had found some people living in the hotel the President had been scheduled to stay at. Unfortunately, they said The President's group had apparently pushed on after their handshaking event last night because there was no electricity in Lexington. "But the President promised to send some people to work on it as soon as he could." A grandmotherly lady with curly salt and pepper hair assured Vince. "If you folks want to stay, we can offer you some candles." He thanked her and inquired about food instead.

Twenty minutes later they were eating fruit cocktail out of cans and leaning over the hood of the car looking at the map again. "A guy taking a smoke out back told me they lost landline communication back in August and cell service went down with a big ice storm in November." Debbie put her phone on the hood of the car. "I've tried both Kara and Danny but nothing's gone through."

"I had to get a ham license when I worked in news radio. I could see if I could find someone with a radio and try to send a message that way" Peter offered.

"There's no time, they don't know to listen for our message, and we don't want to broadcast this across the whole midwest...but that's good to know about Peter. Maybe we can use your skills later." Vince made a few quick finger measurements on the map. "We're at least two hours from Louisville but if they got in last night they might not stay all day. I say we take this route here..." he traced a path with his finger. "..to get to Elizabethtown. That should put us between them and the militia so we can stop them."

They piled back into the car. "You'll want these." Debbie produced a handful of granola bars from her jacket pocket. Sorry it's not a McMuffin and coffee. I had to take what I could get."

Vince grinned appreciatively. "Debbie Foster, you take great care of us."

She smiled and patted his arm as she hauled herself into the rear of the SUV. "Just drive fast and help us do a good deed for our country."

The smaller highway leading to Elizabethtown was even more rutted and treacherous than the route to Lexington had been. Debbie's teeth ground together as Vince took another icy corner with a skidding real end. In the back seat, Peter looked simultaneously pale and clammy. When they finally bounced and slipped their way into the little town around 2 PM, even Vince was looking a little green around the edges.

There were a surprising number of people around the town center. Vince parked in front of a boarded up hardware store. A cluster of people were gathered in front of a cafe a few doors down. Another cluster was lounging near the curb where the two lane highway cut off one end of the town green. Debbie wondered where they had all come from. A narrow path was worn through the crusty old snow on the sidewalks. Most of the parking spaces were filled with trucks and SUVs.

"Ok. Peter, you and I will try to find out about communications. We want to know if they can reach Louisville or St. Louis in any way."

Peter nodded. "Even radio?"

Vince glanced at his watch. "Yes, the President could be arriving any minute. I think we should prepare for the chance that this militia gives chase. I'll take that group over there." He nodded toward the twenty or so people milling in front of the Community Safety Complex.

Peter began buttoning up his coat and donning gloves. "Meet back here in how long?"

"Un uh." Vince nodded toward a church on the other side of the road. "Meet on the left side of that church, behind that parking portico, just in case there are militia scouts around." Debbie scanned the clusters of people. They didn't look like the camo clad guys Jeanne had described back in Knoxville, but who knew what a scout looked like. Somewhere in the old timeline of her memory she remembered her oldest son Eric laughing and telling Kara that he hardly ever wore a uniform. She wondered if the militia was that knowledgeable.

Vince opened the center console and took out a gun and two magazines. He handed them back to Peter. "Just in case, something about all these people being here doesn't feel right for such a small town. I'm surprised there are even this many survivors here." He held out a gun to Debbie too. She closed her fingers around the barrel and realized she was shaking with the anxiety of leaving the safe and familiar confines of the car. She was a decent shot with a rifle or shotgun, but she had little experience with a handgun.

"Does it work like a shotgun?"

Vince sucked in a breath. "You don't actually know how to use a gun?" She saw the disbelief in his eyes and felt herself grow defensive.

"This isn't exactly the kind of gun we use on the farm you know."

Vince sighed. He shouldn't have assumed that just because her husband had been a legend that she knew anything about the kind of work men like him did. "Peter, how about you?"

"Boyscouts, rah rah. I know enough." Peter busied himself familiarizing himself with the weapon and finding a good pocket for it.

Vince spent a few minutes showing Debbie what to do. Once she nodded that she was pretty sure she could use it if she had to, he gave her an assignment too. "We need a few supplies because we might end up back on the road or even on foot in a hurry. See if you can find us some bottled water and snacks."

She nodded curtly and began scanning the street. "Looks like a shopping center a few blocks up. Should I take the car?"

"Yes, and park it behind the church when you come back in," he glanced at his watch, "25 minutes."

She motored away and Peter gave a quick wave before heading to a gathering of people in front of what looked like city hall. Vince went the other way and merged with the group that was chatting near the community safety complex. "Hi!" He stuck out a hand toward a meaty looking guy with a trucker cap on. "I'm Vinnie." He did the best Georgia accent he could manage.

The guy didn't shake his hand and Vince noticed that his other hand immediately went to his jacket pocket. So the guy was carrying then. He'd better try to appeal to his innate urge to help, if he had one. "Me an my kin are trying to get up to Cincinnati, on account o her daughter havin' a baby soon. We had a heck of a time gittin' over the mountains. Had to sleep in the car twice!"

"Man that sucks." The guy stepped a little to the side of the crowd and Vince knew he had him hooked even if the guy still didn't want to shake hands. "you folks sick?"

Vince shook his head, trying to look as easy going as possible, even if that wasn't at all how he felt. "Naw, we got the cure. You got it here yet?" Maybe that was why everyone was out here, they knew the President was coming.

"Yeah, got it from the President himself. They was just here about an hour ago. Sorry you missed 'em. It was quite a sight."

Oh Shit. "They just came through here? Wow, it's pretty late in the day to be goin' south of here. We just came that way and it was sure a lonely drive. There a good town to spend the night that way or somin?"

The guy looked at him like he was a little off his rocker. "They were going North. That's why they didn't stay long. Said they were trying to get to Fort Knox before dinner time." Fuck! Vince had a very bad feeling about this. "But after seeing the Army roll through here and the President waving from his humvee, as the guys walking along, sharing the cure, we're feeling a lot more hopeful around here now."

Vince tried to grin and look happy for the man but he was feeling sick again. "Well I'll be! I didn't even know we still had an army!" Fort Knox was between here and Louisville. And there was likely some real firepower there too.

"Sheriff Jim Taylor was a little surprised too. Didn't want to let them come through Main street, said he didn't believe they were real. But something they said changed his mind." He jerked a thumb toward the building behind him. "My cousin Rowdy and his buddy Frank are good friends with Jim. They're in there now tryin' to figure out what made him so onery."

Vince nodded and tucked his chin down a little. "She gonna be real pissed at me if we've missed the baby. You got any workin' phones 'round here?"

The guy frowned. "Nope, we haven't got none working yet. But the President promised to work on that." behind him, the front door of the city complex opened up and a man in a neatly pressed uniform stepped out onto the front steps. "Oh, that's the Sheriff."

The Sheriff placed his parade cover over his balding pate and then stepped down a few steps with such precision that Vince was sure he had been a marine at one point. He eyed the crowd and then set his hands on his hips before making his statement. "I reckon all y'alls should be going home for the night. Rowdy and I will get in touch with you tomorrow about spreadin' the cure."

The man Vince had been talking too waved to the Sheriff. "Come on Vinnie, I'll introduce you." Vince did his best to stay in character but as soon as the first guy said his goodbyes, he turned a sharp eye on the Sheriff. "That wasn't the President, tell me what you saw."

"Agreed." The sheriff did a double take at his change of accent but stuck out a well worn hand for a firm handshake. "Jim Taylor. Been Sheriff around here for the last twelve years. And you are?"

Vince angled himself so that he'd be facing away from the crowd as he spoke. "Vince Grazinski, lets call me a government contractor for now."

The sheriff looked him up and down. "Some kinda militia I'd guess. Well equipped too. They got 17 vehicles, were towing some heavy artillery. Maybe 90 to 110 of them." Shit. Vince glanced back up the street toward where Debbie and Peter had gone. She wasn't going to react well when he told her the news. "That's what tipped me off." The sheriff continued. "Well, that and the fact that they were carrying mostly knock off AR-15s. They weren't professionals but they had plenty of firepower." The sheriff's eye's were grim. "I hope this is the part where you tell me you know where they are going and how to stop them."

"The real honest to goodness President is headed south from Louisville and I don't have a good way to contact him." Vince met the Sherif's shocked gaze and hped to God the man had some good ideas because right now he was feeling pretty useless. "I don't suppose there's a back way to get North in a hurry that doesn't appear on my maps?"

"Naw, the highway is it." The Sherrif scratched his chin, looked up and down the street, and then tugged on the tie that just showed beneath his black sweater.

For a moment they stood there, scratching their toes in the dirt. Vince ran several scenarios in his mind. He could probably get pretty close behind the militia and then join in, but every way he figured it, he'd end up getting shot before he got anywhere close to meeting Michener's party. He prayed that Kara had been able to reach them in time and this would all be unnecessary because if it came down to it, he would attempt the crazy bezerker move to save Danny before he ever admitted defeat and sat hopeless.

"I don't suppose there's an airfield nearby?" He wasn't exactly sure how that would help, but he figured it couldn't hurt to know all his resources.

"Not in town. Of course over to Fort Knox they got a couple runways. But I think they moved all the fixed wing out of there years ago."

Jim crooked his finger at his deputy, standing at one edge of the porch, rifle held rigidly in front of him. "Hey Timmy, come here." He turned back to Vince. "Timmy was a helo pilot in Desert Storm, still in the guard. He'll know what they're keeping up there."

The younger man scanned Vince from tip to tail before sticking out his hand for a firm shake. "Chief Timmy Darnel, Yeah, I think I can get one of you in the air." Vince filled him in on the situation.

"Well, we still have a couple of Apaches up there for training." He scanned Vince again. "I reckon I could get you to Louisville ahead of that militia if you want. We got plenty of firepower for them too. Got a detachment of weekend warrior air national guard that use the training range once a month."

The Sheriff looked to Vince to decide. "Yeah, I think we better give that a try."

"Good, tell me what I can have the boys here do to help." Said Jim.

Two hours later Vince and Timmy were cutting a jeep sized hole in the chain link fence beside the gate to the airfield. Timmy had assured him that Fort Knox had been closed since the third week of the flu but it didn't hurt to be cautious. No alarms sounded however and they quickly made their way to a large hanger, Debbie and Peter in the SUV behind.

"I'd like to get up as quick as possible." Vince told Timmy. "It's already 1630 and if we don't hurry, we're not going to get a chance to see what they are bringing to the party."

Timmy hit a light switch. "We got three birds in good shape, take your pick."

Vince eyed the three helos. "Usually I'm calling for air support, not bringing it. I don't really know more than how to ID a friendly from a foe. What would you recommend?"

Timmy strode over to the middle one, slapping his hand against the mottled brown and green paint just above where his own name was stenciled on the side. "Well Lil' Liza Jane here's been my girl since the early 90's." He pointed to the undercarriage. "Plus she's already got live rounds loaded. Although these only have infrared sensing so without GPS guidance they aren't going to be too precise." Vince recognized the missiles slung below the cockpit as some kind of antitank variety. "But if your people can get me some kind of thermal signature to lock on, I can do plenty of damage.."

"Sounds like a plan." Vince strategized quietly with Peter and Debbie, while Timmy readied the helo. "Now don't forget, anything we say over this com is public. We have to assume those militia guys are monitoring, and we can't know for sure that Michener's group will hear or recognize us." They quickly went over some plans and alternatives. Debbie took notes and Peter looked worried as Vince used a sharpie to mark off and label grids on the map and then handed one off to Peter. "We'll use these labels as references so that even if they overhear us, they won't know where we're referring to."

"What if we don't understand what you're telling us?" Peter paced as he watched Vince get ready to go. "What if we do the wrong thing?"

Vince had seen that kind of insecurity in young recruits a million times. "When push comes to shove, just trust your gut and go for it."

"Ha ha." Peter laughed with a self-depreciating grimace. "My gut is telling me to move to northern Canada and learn to love raw whale." Peter ran his hands through his hair and looked to Debbie. "But, She can't lose another one and I can't lose her."

Vince knew exactly what he was saying because he felt the same way. The day his first wife divorced him and took his four young children away had felt like the end of the world. Having them reject him when he tried to reconnect with them a few years later had been even worse. But the hope had always been there that as they grew into adulthood they would come to understand what it had cost him to make the world better for them. And all four of them had forgiven him and shared their lives with him when he didn't give up trying to make a relationship with each. Now they were likely all dead. Two had been in L.A., one on Norfolk, and V.J. had been overseas somewhere. But he still had Danny and Danny was going to give him a grandchild, well, more like a grand nephew. But he would love it like a grandchild all the same. He hadn't been there when his kids were young and he'd lost the chance to make up for it now that they were grown. He couldn't afford to fail Danny now. His heart wouldn't take it.

Debbie surprised them both by offering a weak smile. "We do what has to be done, then there will be time to worry about about the future." She kissed Peter soundly. "Be brave for me, and for your grandchild." Then she kissed Vince on the cheek. "I am so glad we found you. Let's all grow old together."

Vince nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a good idea."


	19. Chapter 19 - Love Without Mercy

**Love Without Mercy, Lee Roy Parnell**

Five minutes later Debbie and Timmy were in the air. She gasped and clutched her shoulder straps as the ground fell away beneath her feet. Up above the trees, the sky seemed lighter but the shadows below were long and deep. She knew they needed to hurry, but for a moment she just drank in the sight. For almost 20 years she had wondered why her husband was so captivated by his work. Now, she was beginning to understand just how heady the combination of adrenaline, adventure, and intrigue could really be. They rose up over deep green pines dusted with a few inches of snow and even though she knew there was a real threat below, for a moment the world looked peaceful. As they moved southeast, skimming along at about 200 feet, she noticed that for a closed base, there were an awful lot of footprints and tiremarks. She began to get a bad feeling in his stomach as the tire marks turned into muddy ruts.

"Are those what I think they are?" She called over his crackly headset.

"Unfortunately yes." Timmy replied, his voice tight. "Looks like at least five heavy vehicles passed through here. There's a road that cuts back to the highway not too far to the south, but it forks and also emerges about a mile north of here too, so I can't say for sure where they will be along the highway." He turned the helo toward the south.

"Well that rules out plans A and B." Debbie sighed. She'd been so hopeful they could do this without any bloodshed. "What kind of armored vehicles did they have here on base? We need to figure out the firing ranges."

Sitting at the controls in front of her, Timmy nodded, the bright yellow of his protective ear muffs glowing in the narrow cockpit's lights. "They had mostly MIA2's with the M68 guns out here, so I'd say nothing too accurate over about 1500 meters. But of course there's the machine guns too. There might have been a few Stryker's bumming around, but they were mostly training on the Abrams."

All that didn't mean much to her and she felt the first crack in her confidence. "1500 meters is like a mile, right?"

"Yes Ma'am. If we can stop then before the President's group gets within a mike we should be good."

They came over a hill by the highway and Debbie swore at the same time she heard Timmy's expletive echo in her headset. She could see the roadcut for the highway in the distance. It looked like there was some kind of road block set up at the edge of the federal area, but the terrain between was heavily treed and the tracks they were following disappeared from view beneath the dark canopy. What really had her worried was the fact that a convoy of 7 or 8 cars was stopped, facing the roadblock. there were probably twenty cars and trucks pulled off the road to the south of the roadblock and a mass of people holding weapons stood waiting. Her map showed the fork Timmy had mentioned but they couldn't see it through the cover of the trees. If there were five or more armored vehicles, they could easily have split to surround the President from North and South.

She fired off a quick message to Vince. "Plans A and B are out. Sector 3, heading U situation is critical. Sector 4, headings R and L also critical." He had divided up the map so that there was only one identified road in each sector and redefined the compass rose as up, down, left, and right. It wasn't a foolproof code by any means, but it would at least let them attempt to talk over an open channel.

"We read you Liza Jane. Let us know how to proceed once you have a chance to assess." Debbie's hands shook as she looked at her notes. It had seemed so clear and simple when Vince had told her what to look for earlier. But now when she could barley see the ground and so much seemed to be at stake, it felt overwhelming. As they swooped once over the highway, she made a quick count of people and positions. The militia had set up a traffic funnel with construction barriers but fortunately the President's group had stopped before entering. As they approached, two men who looked like they were cautiously walking forward from the line of cars, took cover under the trees. She wished she could just roll down the window and warn them to turn back. What if one of them was Danny? She clicked on her speaker.

"No!" Timmy's voice exploded in her ear.

Heart pounding, she closed the comm. "What? I was just going to tell Vince what they were doing."

"I know, but that will alert the militia too."

A hot flush of shame flooded her face. "Oh my God! Oh my God I can't do this. Kara will never forgive me if I screw it up."

As he turned the helo, Timmy turned his head as far as he could in his headgear. "You're doing great Mrs. Foster. We are going to save them. Just give him the letter." She felt foolish for needing so much reassurance but really, had she ever imagined herself doing this? She, a farm wife from Kansas in a helicopter trying to keep the President of the United States safe? Well, wouldn't her boys be surprised when she joined them in heaven. The first of three hulking armored vehicles rolled out of the treeline and with a sinking stomach, she knew what she'd have to tell Vince. The President's convoy was already too close.

"Plan D. Conditions warrant plan D."

Vince sounded rueful when he replied. "Damn, I was afraid you'd say that."

They were almost over the trees again when she saw a bright flare come up on one side. Timmy jerked the steering controls and they dipped sharply to one side in an evasive maneuver. "Well hells bells, they got someone down there that knows what they're doing."

How could he be so calm, she wondered. "Is this bad? What am I saying? They are firing on us. Of course this is bad!" Debbie's pulse beat like a trapped bird in her throat. She pressed her hands against the windows on either side to steady herself even though her harness held her in.

Timmy pressed a button and some kind of flares shot off the side. For a moment there was a confusing mix of smoky trails criss crossing the sunset sky around them. They rose up and then swooped from side to side. "Hang on Mrs. Foster. This will be over soon. They might think they have the numbers but we've got real experience on our side." She wasn't sure if he was reassuring her or himself, but she was grateful all the same.

Hang on was right. There was a ding and she knew something must have hit them. Timmy went on like it didn't matter "Damn pea shooters!". Her stomach lurched as he twirled the helo about and she lost track of north and south. "We'll just make a few loops around here a few feet above their ceiling and hopefully distract everyone enough to buy Vince and Peter some time."

He brought them up slightly higher before passing back over the armored vehicles. It was getting darker by the second but Debbie swore she saw two figures dart out of the woods toward the hulking tank like shapes and she was sure that the large black SUV in the middle of the President's convoy had a man on the roof and four more surrounding it. She crossed her fingers and said a silent prayer that Peter and Vince weren't caught. When Vince had explained that the training missles on the helo needed a thermal target, she'd thought all was lost. Then he'd revealed his plan to rip apart the heat packs from their stock of MREs to get a thermite reaction started with the metal on the armored vehicles. She had no idea what any of that meant, but she hoped to hell they could pull it off.

"Don't we have a gun or something we can use to protect them while they get in there?" She asked hopefully.

"If we have to, yes we do have a kick-ass 50 cal. But it's not very accurate unless we get down real low and it would put Vince and Peter, not to mention any of the President's escort, in danger. Our best bet for stopping these guys is destroying their big guns and then running."

She watched helplessly as one of the two men snuck around the back of a tank. The other, it must have been Vince, stood guard. The helo turned and she lost sight for a moment. The next time they passed back around, the men were gone. She scanned the treeline but she didn't see anything to indicate where Vince and Peter had gone or where the two men from the President's group had gone either. Fear gripped her. "Hurry, hurry." She chanted to herself.

She saw a small party of 12 or so militia begin to make their way down the narrowed channel that they had setup to trap the President's convoy. It was getting so dark that all she could really make out was a set of dark blobs detaching from the larger mass. She hoped they were going to talk, not attack. "It's getting too dark! We won't be able to aim!"

"That's the beauty of infrared. Hit the switch on your right side control panel with the funny picture of the sideways triangle with the letters IR on it." She reached one shaky hand forward and did as he said. The glowing screen in front of her changed from a camera view to strange yellow, orange, and red blobs. One corner of the screen was glowing white.

"See that white area?" He asked as he swung the helo around to they were headed straight for it.

"Yeah." She looked over his head and out the windshield to see what it was but the screen had ruined her night vision. "Goodbye tank number one." He flicked a lever and a beeping sensor alarm filled the cockpit. She felt the helo rock in response to the missile launch almost before she registered that he's pressed another button. There was a bright orange fireball and a rush of sound over the chop chop of the rotors. In the bright glow she saw men diving for cover and running.

"Yes!" Timmy cheered. He rapidly fired on the other two armored vehicles, pumping his fist in the air as he did. Debbie squinted against the black smoke and flames, searching the men below for Vince and Peter, but she didn't see them.

"I'm taking us lower. They are too busy sorting themselves out to take shots at us now." Timmy informed her. She stared at his bald spot, a little shell shocked, to tell the truth. she had just seen what she was sure was a man writhing in flaming agony. A few others just lay unmoving on the ground.

She didn't have time to reflect on that though as a small boom sounded to one side of them. She looked down just in time to see the SUV at the center of the President's convoy go up in flames. "No!" Her shout echoed off the glass of the small cockpit.

"God dammit, these fools don't know when to quit." Timmy swung them around and dove for the ground. A flare zinged past her window but he ignored it as he unleashed the chain gun on the two vehicles that had trapped the President from the North. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the pain and suffering they were probably causing. "That will teach them." Timmy swung the helo about and made a second pass on the group to the south.

The President's cars were rapidly turning around, taking advantage of the chance to escape. Debbie felt her first surge of triumph as they blasted through the thin line of militia remaining to the north and escaped into clear open road. Without their big guns, the militia had no ability to stop them now. But there was no question a car had been lost. A memory of calling Kara to tell her that Eric had been killed in action came to her on a wave of uncertain grief. She wasn't sure their relationship would survive if Danny was gone.

She scanned the treeline for Vince and Peter but didn't see them. Many of the militia had fled into the woods or back down the road another way. "While I'm not usually a fan of destroying government property, I think we ought to incapacitate everything they've got left." Timmy swung them around for a final pass, blowing the charred carcases of the armored vehicles to bits.

She flicked on her radio. "Heading to sector 7 U to intercept the President's group." When there was no response her worry began to grow. "Vince?"

A new voice came on the radio. "Debbie?" She gasped at Danny's voice. At least she thought it was Danny. "You better get down here. Sector R, heading R." Was all he said.

Timmy landed the helo about a 1/2 mile south of the face off. By that time, the sheriff had arrived with a team and was checking the fallen militia men for survivors and confiscating weapons. She fumbled with her buckles as she saw Danny running, somewhat lopsided, toward her. "You need to come, now!" He practically lifted her right out of her seat and they set off at a run, heedless of the fact that there were still occasional gunshots in the woods beside the road. Her legs felt numb and useless and she knew he had to slow his pace for her but she didn't dare stop. He led her to the back of a pickup, riddled with bullet holes.

As she rounded the side she took in the booted foot, hanging off the tailgate, the concerned faces of Navy people, most of whom she did not recognize, and Vince, sitting in the bed with a streak of blood across his cheek. Alisha Granderson was holding Peter's hand over the side of the truck. "I'm so, so very sorry Mrs. Foster."

His breathing was labored but his eyes were open so she clambered up into the truck bed. "Peter, Peter, oh Peter I am so sorry I dragged you into this." She elbowed Vince out of the way to get close. "What can we do? What does he need?" She looked to Alisha and then Danny. Why weren't they doing anything? She looked him over but she couldn't tell what the injury was. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing to do I'm afraid." He wheezed.

Alisha patted his hand. "Don't try to talk, save your breath Peter." Then she turned to Debbie. "He's got hit by a car as the militia started to flee. There's several broken ribs and I think he might have punctured a lung, maybe he's got internal bleeding."

He squeezed her hand. "Now don't go blaming yourself dear. Now I get to die knowing the good guys won."

She searched the group, wild eyed, hoping someone would argue with him and say he wasn't going to die, but no one did. "The hospital?" She asked hopefully.

"Over 2 hours away." Vince supplied grimly.

So they sat in the cold February morning, holding hands and waiting. She tried not to cry but nothing she could do would control it. Big wet tears rolled down her cheeks one after another. Vince and Danny stepped off to the side to discuss logistics. Alisha stepped away only to return with blankets for her and Peter. "I'll be over here if you need me." She said softly. Debbie didn't know what to do. She'd never comforted someone through the transition to death before. She hadn't been there for her husband or her sons. Both her parents had died suddenly.

She swiped at her tears. "What do I do Peter?"

"Stay with me, please? I've never done this before and I'm a little nervous." He tried to smile but it only made her cry harder. He coughed, and a dollop of red foam collected in the corner of his lips. "Just be here with me. You never know, you know?"

She nodded, swiping at her tears. "I won't go anywhere."

Vince and Danny continued to talk, glancing their way every few seconds. They appeared to be arguing about something. All she caught was her son-in-law saying "Just a minute. We can at least give them that much."

Vince shook his head. "Look, I know it's your call, but we've got to move. Those guys aren't all pros but they seemed to know enough to have a rally point. And there's plenty of firepower left for the taking. We need to put some miles between us. Unless you want to split forces and run a cleanup operation?"

Lieutenant Granderson shuddered and Debbie surmised that Vince was referring to total obliteration of enemy forces by hunting them down 1 at a time.

Danny called Simpson-Slattery over. "Sargeant, take your team plus Miller and destroy any ordinance you can find in the next 2 hours. Send someone back up with Chief Darnel." His words were punctuated by a trio of shots behind him.

"Good eye Baby Bird" Lieutenant Burk called out to Miller, who had been guarding their northern edge. "Are we moving Sir?"

Debbie looked at Peter's ashen face and knew it wasn't going to matter if they moved him or not. "If we need to go, we go. As long as I can stay here with Peter."

Danny reached over the side of the truck and clasped his hand. "You saved the President, Peter. You are a hero."

Peter's eyes stayed closed but his lips moved slowly. "Didn't do it for the President." He paused and gasped for breath. "Did it for our girl."

Danny pressed his lips together. "Thank you."

Debbie could see the triangle of moisture at the corner of his eye reflecting in the tail lights. Kara really had found a good one. "Just don't make it all for waste. Let's get out of here." She arranged the blankets Granderson had provided while men and women retreated from guard positions and started the convoy. Then she lay down beside Peter and told him all about the commitment she was making to her future, to Kara, and her grandchild. By the time they began to descend the next hill, his heart had stopped beating beneath her ear.


	20. Chapter 20 - Bring It On Home

It has been a really rough couple of weeks around here. Aside from my existential grief over the environmental tragedy that is this very early Spring, my cat has been sick and I managed to break my phone. The phone breaking was really the least consequential of everything. A quick bout of online shopping and a few days later I had a new one. But it really got me thinking about how important communication is to society. With communication comes the cross pollination of ideas, the constant opportunity to grow and learn, and the ability to physically adventure away from our loved ones and still stay connected at the same time. I don't think we can really fathom how incredibly different our world would be if we were isolated from other communities.

**Bring It On Home To Me, James Cotton**

Kara was sitting on the steps of the courthouse, enjoying a relatively warm day for the beginning of February. At least, that was what she told herself. It had nothing to do with the fact that the President and his entourage, including both Danny and her mother were expected this afternoon. She wasn't so sentimental that she couldn't wait five minutes for Danny to be released and come see her. But still, she wanted to be there, to see how he was the minute he emerged from the car.

"I thought I might find you here." Val plunked down beside her. "Do you think they are really going to get home today? Maybe who ever is sending the messages is just guessing."

"Last night's message was unusually specific. 1600 at 1600? If that means what I think it does, we should be seeing them in about 15 minutes."

Val looked around behind her. "I guess that explains the new armed guards we've got at the front doors and the two men I can see on the roof of the parking garage?"

Kara turned her face up the sun and tried to let the warm rays calm her. She had wanted to keep all the extra security as invisible as possible so the mole wouldn't even suspect they were on to him. But no matter how much she argued that they didn't seem to be a threat to the President given they had ample opportunity to harm the man while on the trip and had not, Chandler disagreed. He insisted that whoever they were, they would very likely be able to spot the changes and know they had been discovered anyway. "Our primary duty is to protect the President. We don't have to hide that."

Master Chief arrived in a perfectly pressed uniform, several of the young people in training following after him like a flock of ducklings. They were carrying guns and he was directing them to positions around the square facing the courthouse. Even though she knew they were loaded with rubber bullets, it still made her a little queasy. Most of the current recruits were practically children. She hoped the flyers Burk had distributed at the President's stops brought in some more mature applicants. More than anything they needed people with prior experience and good judgment to join them.

"Mind if I toke?"

Kara rolled her eyes. Halsey began nosing her oversized pockets. "Doesn't matter if I mind, this is a historical landmark and smoking is prohibited."

Val winked, not in the least put off by Kara's statement. "I'm just kidding. I wouldn't smoke around the baby. Although God knows you'd probably benefit from a little relaxation." She pulled an assortment of colorful lollipops from one of her pockets. "Candy?"

Kara couldn't keep a straight face as she shook her head in denial. "You're nervous, aren't you?"

"Yeah, you know it. I'm not at all sure what I'm doing here. I just know that I want to see that she's ok with my own two eyes." She sighed and popped the lollipop once. "Other than that, I just have no idea."

They sat together quietly for a while. Other people began to filter into the square a few at a time. Commander Garnett and Judge Siskin came over from the coffee shop and took a spot near the top of the steps.

Kara noticed Lee chatting quietly with Ray and some other young men. She'd accompanied Chandler when he'd delivered the news of Betty's death. The kid had taken it remarkably well, but Kat told her a few days later that she'd slept over with the kids because Ray had been out all night keeping Lee from getting into trouble after Rob and Colin took him out to drink away his grief. "We all feel kind of crummy that he needs a good friend right now, but no one knows Lee very well." Kara remembered feeling the same way when Danny was grieving for Frankie. She'd hardly known what she could do to help.

"All you can do is be there and let him know that people support him." That had sustained her when her father and brothers died, but no amount of kind words and companionship had kept her mother from turning to the bottle for escape. "It was nice of Ray to try to reach out, but he shouldn't feel bad if Lee doesn't take advantage of his help. Everyone mourns in their own way."

Kat had pressed her lips together and nodded. Kara had wondered if she was thinking of how she had mourned her own mother. Ever since they had first learned of the Red Flu, time had seemed to slow down. But it really hadn't been all that long since Claire was killed. But Kat hadn't mentioned her mother at all, just shrugged and said lightly "Oh you know Ray, now that he's put Lee on his list of people he needs to take care of, Lee is stuck with him."

Plenty of civilians were gathering in the square as well. Apparently the added security had not gone un-noticed. People were coming up the street from the market area and pretty soon the sounds of conversation filled the air. Kara looked at her watch, wondering if they had time to organize some crowd control, when a few police arrived on horses. The men and women riding were dressed in parade uniform, but they still carried weapons and Kara noticed that a few of them had rolls of zip tie cuffs at their waists too. A group of four officers quickly deployed a rope line at the edge of the square while two others approached the steps.

"Valorie! So good to see you again! Do you know who is in charge here?" A tall blond officer approached the women.

"Do you know him?" Kara had never seen him before. After the incident in Memphis, she'd stopped automatically trusting in uniforms. Halsey say up as attention as the man stopped a few steps down from them.

"Hey Officer Gund! Good to see you again. I guess Kara would be the one." Val pointed to her. When Kara struggled to get to her feet, he quickly offered her a hand.

"Oohhh somebody's going to get in trouble." Val whispered hoarsely. Kara shot her a dirty look. "Actually, after the Dr. Scott thing, he was one of the officers that came to investigate." Kara turned and pasted on her most winning smile. She didn't consider diplomacy her best suit by any means, but she'd have to do her best unless Garnett choose to get involved.

"Hi officer…"

"It's Officer Gund. Nice to meet you Ma'am."

"Officer Gund, I'm Commander Foster-Green. I work with the Chief of Naval Operations, Captain Tom Chandler. We weren't planning a public event today, although the President and a contingent of Navy personnel and civilians that have been spreading the cure for the last few weeks are expected to arrive any minute."

"With all due respect Ma'am, when the President of the United States walks into McDonald's to buy a BigMac it is considered a public event." She looked across at the now hundreds of people lining the street. He had a point. They should have known the courthouse was under constant scrutiny. "The mayor sent us over as soon as he heard what was going on. He wants another sit down with the President's people to properly organize security procedures ASAP. In the meantime, we're going to do our best to give the President and the Navy the welcome home they deserve."

She smoothed an imaginary wisp of stray hair behind her ear. "Well, I can't speak officially, but as far as I'm concerned, any help you can provide will be welcome."

"Thanks Ma'am." He tipped his parade hat. "Any idea what time they are expected? Are there any specific threats we should know about?"

She couldn't help but look up the road toward the direction she was expecting them to arrive from. "To be honest, we don't really know. The best guess I have is 4 PM."

The young officer nodded. "Alright, well unless you disagree, I'd like to designate the steps for the President's staff, Navy personnel and their families only. We'll get some ropes up ASAP so that anyone who wants to enter this area has to come in through the building. Can you put a few guys on the back door, limiting entry, and we'll handle the rest?"

Kara liked the way he acknowledged her authority but didn't shy away from telling her what he, with his relative expertise in this realm, would like to do. He'd make a good lieutenant. She nodded and looked around for Jeter. He would have a team organized and doing the job faster than she could even figure out who was available. "I'll get that set up in a few minutes. Thank you Officer."

"Perhaps you can rely to the President's office that we do have a permit process for parades and public events, so that public security can be organized ahead of time."

"Yes, thank you officer." She had been feeling like things in her office were starting to go more smoothly but the officer's words reminded her that there was still so much to learn.

Master Chief smiled as she approached him. "Lieutenant Foster-Green, how can I help you?" She explained the situation and she was right, before she knew it he had organized some of the recruits and sent Ray, Lee, and Rob around to secure the building. "Impress me today and I'll let you sleep in from PT tomorrow." He promised the young men.

As they jogged away up the steps she heard Rob say to Ray,"I'm happy to get out of PT, but I wanted to crowd watch from the front. There were some hotties over there. Look." She knew it was pointless to be annoyed at the stupid things that young guys said, but she still wanted to go over and slap him. Something about that kid just bugged her. Still, as Danny had pointed out when he'd accepted him into the training group, sure they needed people who could develop into leaders, but right now, they just plain needed bodies.

She was inordinately pleased when Ray replied "Dale, we're too busy for that right now."

Twenty minutes later Kara was suddenly surrounded by a chattering group of kids. "So, the rumor is that the President is coming home today?" Kat Nolan asked hopefully.

"Well, no sign of them yet but my intel says today."

Kat narrowed her eyes. "This a new development since I left at noon yesterday? Not that I would have dressed up or anything to see my dad again, but I might have at least cleaned up my room."

Val waved hello to Kat. "Kara, that girl pretty sharp. You still sure I can't hire her?"

Kara looked down the line of laughing and talking kids. Halsey was hamming it up and playing dead while the kids pet his pale belly. "She'd already booked. Although, it seems like you've got a small group today."

Kat sighed contentedly. "Yep! Brie met some kids at the library yesterday who were going to go check it out the old YMCA on Olive Street today. Ray told the older kids to go along and find out if the gym and pool were usable."

"A pool sounds dreamy!" Kara patted Flutter. "If it turns out that there's a real lap pool, you have to let me know. I would be there doing my whale routine every day."

Kat ducked her head. "Great, you can take the kids! Practice your parenting."

Val leaned around Kara, a sardonic arch in her brow. "Don't tell me you can't swim!

"Not a stroke. I grew up in the desert you know."

A little girl sitting at her feet turned around abruptly. "I can teach you Kat. I was in the blue group at camp."

Kara hadn't heard much about the camp they had all been at and curiosity got the best of her. She'd always wanted to go to a summer camp with shady pine trees and cabins with bunk beds like the one on the movie, The Parent Trap. But the closest she'd ever come was a one night school field trip in 5th grade. "Was it a camp on a lake?" She asked the little girl.

Another girl nodded vigorously. "It had a beach and a dock with a diving platform. And there were canoes for the big kids and even two sailboats!"

"And we went swimming tons. We had lessons and free time and you had to stay in the zone for your color wristband." The young blond proudly brandished her wrist where she wore a royal blue rubber sport band. Whatever lettering had been on it was long ago worn away. "I was in the blue zone. I could go to the end of the dock but I couldn't go out to the platform yet."

Kara smiled. It sounded like the perfect way for a kid to spend the summer, especially when their parents might be otherwise occupied. "That camp sounds like it was fun. What else did you do there?"

"Oh yeah, it was the best! We had an little farm with animals to take care of, and arts and crafts, and we had nature hikes, and campfires, and ice cream every night in the mess hall!"

A dark haired girl leaned in, giggling. "But swimming was the most fun."

A chubby boy with thick glasses shook his head. "Uh uh Luna! I say the ropes course was the most fun!"

Luna stuck her tongue out at him. "No way, the ropes course was scary! You had to climb up a giant ladder! Swimming was the best."

A young man with braids in his hair shook in laughter. "Don't bother trying to win that one Ethan. All the girls loved swim lessons..because Ray was the dreamiest lifeguard they'd ever seen!" He fluttered his lashes dramatically and pretended to swoon.

Will and Ethan giggled uncontrollably. "Yeah, we know why you all liked swim lessons so much."

Although her cheeks turned beet red, the little girl would not admit it. "That's not true. Swimming is just more fun than climbing around in the woods. You like swimming, don't you boy?" Hlasey made a satisfied groan as the little girl scratched behind his ear.

The young woman sitting between the boy's knees agreed with the younger girls. "Yeah, don't you remember how mean Ray was? He was always blowing his whistle and telling the little kids to stay in their zones and all that. We didn't like him then."

It occurred to Kara that if time had seemed slow to her, the first few weeks of not knowing what was going to happen in the outside world must have been like a lifetime to these kids. "So what changed?"

Luna shrugged. "Turned out he was nice. He kept us safe after everyone else went home.

"Yeah, there were a couple times that people tried to steal our food and he scared them away. And he made the plan to move when we ran out." Ethan defended him vigorously. "I bet he's a nicer lifeguard now. He wouldn't let you drown Kat."

Kat shook her head. "That's ok. Swimming just isn't my thing."

Val listened with half an ear. The kids were cute and nice, but their chatter on and on about inane things was pretty boring. She saw Kat hug the little girl who had been getting mad about camp activities and whisper something in her ear, pointing toward the policemen on horseback that were circling around the edges of the crowd. Maybe there was something about kids she just didn't get that she could learn over time?

Over her Kara's shoulder she saw the police suddenly all turn in one direction. "I think this is them!" The first of a long line of cars had come off the highway ramp and was stopped where two of the mayor's officers were keeping the roadway clear. Val twisted the wrapper from her long ago consumed lolli between her fingers. "And it's about time! My butt is getting flat from sitting here so long."

Kara sighed. "I should be so lucky! This baby has an unnatural love of french fries." she smoothed an imaginary stray hair into her tightly pined chignon and tugged her blouse forward so it was looser in the chest.

She gave Kara a sidelong look and her best cheeky grin. "Well, If Lieutenant Green doesn't like the new you, he's an idiot. You are F-I-N-E fine. Take it from a woman who knows how to appreciate a womanly figure."

Kat laughed. "Yeah, I am totally jealous of your boobs." She glanced down at her own chest. "Maybe there's hope for me after all." The women shared a laugh. But instead of ending with a sigh of obvious relief like the women beside her, Val felt her shoulders tighten. She didn't exactly have a plan, but somehow she was going to admit her crush or whatever it was to Lieutenant Granderson today. Who knew how long it would be before she had to leave again? Ever since the incident in the tunnel, the thought had been hounding her. What if that had gone differently? What if she'd missed her chance?

The line of cars pulled forward and she could see Wolf in the driver's seat as the lead car pulled past the steps. An older man that she didn't recognize was sitting in the seat beside him, his grayed head bobbing excitedly as he talked. Kara nudged her in the side. "Don't look now, but there she is, driving the second car."

Of course she looked, how could she not? Alisha had her hands at a perfect 10 and 2 and she sat up rigidly, as if one could be at attention in a car. A knit cap covered her hair but otherwise, she looked exactly the same as when she left. Val watched as she shifted the car into park and then looked up, her gaze shifting from the windshield to the side window. Even with the mirrored glasses Alishia was wearing, Val could see she was scanning the crowd. When she suddenly stopped, Val's breath left her in a huff. She didn't look away even though she had the ridiculous urge to duck her head and smooth her hair. Instead she leaned back, settling her elbows onto the steps behind her and slowly smiled back. "This is it bitch, take it or leave it." She muttered.

"Halsey! Stop it!" Willy and Ethan giggled as the dog stood, his tail suddenly brushing across their faces as it rapidly wagged back and forth. Kara gave a quiet command and the dog sat at her heels, although his tail didn't stop wagging.

"Come on kids." Kat bounded to her feet. "We stand for the President."

Car doors began to open and there was a smattering of applause from the gathered people as uniformed personnel began to emerge. Danny and Wolf came out first. She could see that Danny was talking into a regular old fashioned walkie talkie instead of his usual earpiece and added fixing that to her list of things to get working on. He scanned the crowd and then talked for a few seconds with officer Gund. After he gave a satisfied nod, more car doors opened. Tex appeared beside the third car back and waved to Kat as he crossed to the opposite side to hold the door for someone.

"Oh that man is waving at you Kat!" Luna bounced in excitement.

"That's my dad. You can call him Mr. Nolan."

"Is he friends with President Michener?"

"Ah, sort of." Kat's brows rose in amusement.

"How come he doesn't have a uniform then? He looks like a biker dude."

Kara tugged on one of the girl's ponytails. "Well, not everyone who works for the President wears a uniform."

"But uniforms make people look official. I bet your dad would look handsome in one. He should get one." This was from a different girl sitting near Kat.

"He already has one. He just doesn't need to wear it anymore."

This came as a surprise to Val, who had just assumed the old coot was some kind of cowboy type. But when she thought about it, it made sense given the incredibly brave things she'd heard that he'd done.

"Ray is going to have a uniform, isn't he?" said a little boy, maybe 10 or 11 years old.

Kat pointed out Miller. "He'll have one like Miller's. See that red haired guy there? And he'll have some other fancier ones for special occasions."

"Yeah but Ray will be waaaay more handsomer!" The first girl fake swooned and batted her eyes up at Val. "Don't you think Ms, uh Ms. whoever you are."

"Luna, this is Ms. Raymond. She works for the President and she doesn't wear a uniform either." Kara held out a hand to help the girl up. "It's not nice to fall on strangers."

Despite her general dislike of children, Val found herself saying "Oh let her be." She smiled down at the girl. "I think Ray will be very handsome in his uniform too."

Kat winked at her. "Too bad they aren't wearing dress uniforms. I think Lieutenant Granderson would look quite fetching in the skirt and jacket combo you've got on today Kara.

Kara and Val both laughed. "Alas, she is one of the few women I know who chooses the pants over the skirt option."

"Such a shame." Val shook her head.

The president emerged, looking quite surprised to see such crowds here in St. Louis. But he quickly leaned down and said something to Tex who radioed Danny. At Danny's nod, Alisha, Mason, Miller, and a tall blond man in a uniform more similar to Danny's slid out of cars and took up positions surrounding the president. Together they quickly began traveling the rope line on the other side of the street.

Val nudged Kara. "Your husband must have seen you. You'd think he could blow you a kiss or something."

"Oh, you still have so much to learn!" Kara jerked her head to indicate Alisha. "Don't feel bad that she didn't acknowledge you. We're not supposed to break form until we are released from duty. Wait around until the President releases his escort, then I bet you'll be the first person on her list."

Val felt the makings of a grimace twist her lips but she fought to keep from revealing her frustration. It was bad enough that she was here, possibly making a fool of herself over a woman that so far seemed to hate her. Now she had to wait until the end? She felt around in her left pocket but she was out of candy. She could smell something delicious and suddenly had an intense craving for snacks.

"You want some?" Kat passed over a paper lunch bag filled with popcorn.

"Where the heck did this come from?" She dug in immediately. "I could eat two or three of these right now." It wasn't very buttery but it was salty and crunchy and exactly what she needed.

Luna held open her backpack. "Kat taught us how to make popcorn today! Want your own bag Ms. Raymond?"

While she munched, she watched Alisha. Her movements were so smooth and efficient that she seemed to glide along behind the President. Most of the time her gaze swiveled back and forth over the crowd but every once in a while she stopped and said hi to someone or thank you or shook a hand. Once or twice she glanced over her shoulder toward the steps where the Nathan James crew had filled in. Each time Val would get a prickle of nervous sweat. What, if anything, was she going to say. Maybe she should have planned this out better.

When they reached the corner of the building Michener stepped back from the ropes and waved his hand overhead to the crowd. Then Danny led him toward the edge of the steps.

Kara leaned over. "He'll take Michener around the back. The steps are too unprotected given that they haven't scouted the sight lines."

Val felt some of her frustration reach its peak. "You mean I sat here through all that and I don't even get to say hello? I could have just waited for dinner!"

"Who's that lady? She looks nice." Luna pointed toward where an older blond woman had separated from the civilian volunteers exiting the cars and stood at the bottom of the steps, twisting her scarf in her hands. She was stopped at the edge of the crowd fencing, looking like she wanted to come up the steps but uncertain how to proceed. A stout man with beefy arms and curly gray hair stood slightly behind her.

"That's my mom!" Kara's face split in a smile a mile wide. "And Vince, Danny's ah, I guess you could say mentor. Help me up kids." She waved to the woman to cross the barrier while the kids made a silly game of pulling Kara to her feet and Halsey wove in and out of their little bodies.

Kat persuaded the kids to give the pair some privacy by pointing out the police horse trailer parked on the other side of the square. "Maybe if we ask the police officers what kind of help they need they will let us pet their horses." Val took the hint and began ambling up the steps. She supposed there was a 50/50 chance that Alisha would come back out the main entrance in a while. She lingered at the back of the line that formed as people crowded through the narrow doors. There was clapping and cheering echoing off the marble walls inside and she supposed Michener was giving a speech or something but she'd had enough of politician's speeches for one lifetime. Perhaps it would be better to go wait somewhere private? By the time she reached the porch, people were coming back out again. She leaned against one tall column to consider her next move. She'd never thought of herself as chicken but maybe she should just go back to her room and get to work.


	21. Synergi 21-Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands

My second favorite person in the Bible is Naomi.

**Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands, Bob Dylan**

"Mom!" Debbie watched as Kara carefully made her way down the steps. They met in a tight hug. Debbie felt the firm little belly pressed between them and smiled through her tears. It was real. She'd never thought Kara would want to have children after she'd watched her mother disintegrate into a dried up husk of her former self. She'd thought for sure that she'd poisoned her own daughter against love and family.

Debbie felt such an overwhelming surge of joy and grief that she was crying just because she didn't know what else to do. Her baby was here, safe in her arms. She could see for herself that she really was going to have a grandchild. She stood back, holding Kara's hands in hers. "Let me get a look at you." Kara's cheeks were rosy, her hair healthy and shiny. She looked rested. Her own heart beat a little slower, a little calmer, knowing she was OK. "I'm so glad to be here honey." She hugged her again, just because she could.

Kara squeezed her back "I am too mom." Debbie buried her face in her daughter's neck breathing in Kara's scent as the tears kept flowing. This was her baby. Her only baby left. "Oh, but mom, you shouldn't have come. I am so, so sorry."

Debbie closed her eyes and willed the tears to slow. She'd known there was a chance Kara would feel this way. In the back of her mind she'd figured she could always have a visit and then keep on going, back to the farm in Kansas, home where she'd spent six years alone, drinking her way toward a lonely oblivion. But she wanted to stay. She'd risked a lot for a chance to be here and she had no question in her mind that it was worth it. "I promise, I will work hard and help you. I won't be a burden, I won't be trouble." The words just tumbled out into Kara's neck. She gulped in her scent. She would never ever tire of holding her in her arms, talking with her, being with her. Debbie tried to duck her head. How foolish she was. She'd hurt Kara time and again. What mother does that? No wonder she only had one left. She'd pushed them all away. "No, No I unders…"

Kara framed her face in her hands, forcing Debbie's up to meet her big teary eyes. "Mom, oh Mom. I only meant that there was such a cost. Too much of a cost to you for coming to see me. You left safety and security and lost Peter, because of me, and I'm sorry." Debbie looked into her green-hazel eyes, so like her father's, so like Eric's, and saw her own guilt reflected back to her. Her heart was still thudding in her chest.

"I had to Kara. You'll understand soon. I'd lose everything, everyone to be with you, to help you, to keep you from hurt."

Kara bent her head, forehead resting on her mother's. "You scared the bejeezus out of me Mom. I thought I was going to lose both Danny and you. Who would have put me back together? Promise me you'll never do something like that again."

Debbie pressed her lips together, attempting, and failing to smile. "I'm not making that promise honey. If other times come that I need to be in danger for you, I'll do it, every time. Like I said, you'll understand someday. You would have recovered. Someday my time will come, and no matter the circumstances, I guarantee you, it will hurt less than losing a child."

Kara hugged her tightly again and Debbie relished the feeling, breathed in the moment. "Come on. Take us inside, make introductions, and then Vince and I will get out of your hair while you do whatever you need to finish up for the day."

"Are you here to stay?" Kara asked her, as they hooked arms and she led her mother up toward her office.

"I'm here as long as you need me."


	22. Chapter 22 - Everything Gonna Be Alright

**Everything Gonna Be Alright, Big Mama Thornton**

Val gave up on convincing herself to leave the courthouse after about five minutes. People began emerging back out the front of the building and she stepped further back around the curve of the column so she could observe. A couple civilians she didn't know came out talking about some meeting the President had arranged to start planning for the next goodwill trip. Kat and her minions waved goodbye to the horses and then disappeared around the back of the building. The next time she saw Kat she was exiting the building with her Dad's arm wrapped around her shoulders. "I hear a pizza joint opened while I was gone. Wanna get an early dinner?" Relaxed and carefree, Kat looked much more like a teenager than she had even a few minutes before.

Mason came out, politely holding out his arm for Bertrice, who was laughing at something he said about Cruz and Miller getting on his nerves. "Oh Val, Lieutenant Granderson told me to ask if you could give us a hand with repairs tomorrow. Where and when should we meet?"

Apparently she had been spotted. "Where will you have the equipment?"

"Probably on the ship. Can you meet me there at 0800?" It was a little early for Val to be up and about but she supposed Alisha would be there at 0600, pacing the floor and fussing that every little thing hadn't been put to rights yet. "Yeah that sounds good. But lord knows I'll get lost if I try to find my way around the ship myself."

"Well, I'm sure Granderson could show you where, but I'm happy to meet you on the dock. See you tomorrow." With a jaunty wave he and Bertrice headed across the street for a park bench. The air was cooling as the sun set and she decided to sit so she could tuck her legs up under her coat. She wished she had more lolli's. The way her nerves were jangling, it would really help to calm her down.

Commander Slattery bounded up the steps as a group of young men went the other way. "Nice work today gentlemen. Master Chief tells me you've earned a morning off tomorrow."

There was an electronics store about two miles away. If she went now she could walk there, get some supplies that she might need tomorrow, and get back before dinner ended. She stood and dusted off her pants, pulling her tweed coat tighter as contemplated descending the steps.

"Val, are you here to welcome me home?" The familiar Aussie accent drew an instant smile.

"Wolf! So glad to see you made it in one piece." She waited for him to reach the top. He surprised her by wrapping her in a big hug.

"If you're waiting for Alisha, she's going to be a while. The officers have to make formal reports to Slattery and Chandler before they can go home." She met his warm gaze with alarm. How did he know?

In the coolest voice she could manage she said "Why would I be waiting for Lieutenant Granderson?"

"Oh come on Val." He drawled. "You don't have to pretend. Life is too short. Besides, you didn't bother to lojack anyone else, now did you?"

She leaned back against the column again. "Aggg, this is so embarrassing. First Kara, now you. And she already thinks I'm a bumbling idiot because I know next to nothing about the Navy. And I made a fool of myself with the Ramsey brothers. And she probably thinks I'm such a jerk for tracking her too. I just wanted to know she was safe!" Val buried her face in the crook of her arm. She was a jerk. In her head she could tell herself that there was no way Alisha was interested, that she'd imagined the casual sparks she'd felt in her presence. Besides, even if she felt them too, that didn't mean Alisha would act on them.

"I could stay here with you until she comes out, make it seem like I was the one suggesting we all go out together, and then have an emergency come up?"

"That's nice but we're not middle schoolers." She was touched that he would offer but still, she sighed. "No, I'm just going to wait here to apologize for violating her privacy. Then I'm going to offer to take her out to dinner to make it up to her."

"Oh, well your plan is so much more…ah.. mature." He shook his head, a grin playing at his lips. "You girls have fun."

"Wait, you're going? Don't go. Stay here and tell me about the trip. You're one of the big heroes. I want to hear all about it. How are things in the rest of the country? Did you see any places to get weed in any of the states you were in? Wait, midwest,…Mmm, probably not, but in Ontario? How were things there?"

Wolf just laughed. "No drugs, illegal or otherwise I'm afraid. It was cold and snowy most places. People were mostly glad to see us, and now all I am looking forward to some hot food, a shower, and an early bedtime."

He clasped her shoulder, prompting her to look up at him. "For what it's worth, I think you should just lay it out there and go for it." He took off down the stairs, yelling back over his shoulder, "What's the worst that could happen?"

Val sank back down to her position at the foot of the column. "The worst is that she could actually like me but be too angry to accept me." She muttered.

The sun was nearly down and Val was attempting to sketch out some code for catching the mole when she heard voices echoing through the foyer. She launched herself to her feet just in time to catch Chandler, Slattery, the Greens, and Burke. And of course, there she was, all in one piece, each tiny spiral of her hair perfectly in place. Her face was perfectly composed, as if she hadn't just reported the details on two fatalities to her Commanding officers. As they exited the building, there was more than one set of raised eyebrows directed Val's way, but other than a few polite good evenings, everyone but Alisha just continued past without stopping.

The next thing Val knew, a warm hand had grabbed her by the wrist, her body was spun around, and pressed against a column by a much smaller, but much stronger form. "Omph" she was momentarily disoriented.

"You and I need to have a little talk." Alisha's wide eyes were fierce and bright in the dim evening light. Her heart beat wildly against Val's where their chests were pressed close. Or maybe that was her own heartbeat, their bodies seemed to meld hard against soft. Val was overwhelmed with the tingles of awareness in her arm where Alisha's bare skin touched her own. She felt instantly lightheaded. Dimwitted, she simply nodded. And then that exhilarating feeling of bare skin against skin was at the nape of her neck as Alisha tugged her head down and kissed her. Stunned, she forgot to close her eyes and ended up staring where Alisha's lashes lay against her mocha cheeks. There was a delicate blush there, just under her faint little freckles.

There was nothing delicate about the heat stealing through her though. She clasped the other woman's wrist and shoulder and tugged. her close. The awareness that she could have lost her without ever having this moment made her tremble.

Alisha pulled back first and for a moment they just looked at one another, both stunned. "Thank you." The words puffed out of her mouth on a cloud of misty air.

"For what? Kissing you? Anytime babe." Val tried to play it cool but she was horrified to discover that she couldn't manage to maintain eye contact.

Alisha stepped back and the chill air rushed in to fill the new gap between them. "You know what for." She slipped her hand in her thigh pocket and pulled out her phone. With one brow raised she slid a perfectly manicured nail under the back cover and opened it up, tilting it to catch the light spilling out of the courthouse entry way. "This phone only comes with one sim card but now it looks like it has two. I know it was you."

Val bit back a smile. So she'd figured it out. "I guess I shouldn't be very surprised. You have a habit of figuring out my mischief before anyone else. When did you notice?"

"After Fort Knox. We combed through all the equipment after that. We still don't know how they found us there."

"It wasn't from that. They knew before you got there that you were going to be there. How'd you know it was me?"

Alisha smirked closed the gap between them again. "The only person who has had access to my phone since we arrived here is you. You're a decent pickpocket, but not that great."

Val tensed, wondering if she was about to have all her hopes crushed. It would be her own fault but it would still hurt. Especially now that she had experienced that first amazing kiss. It would be a cruel denial if she told Val she didn't really want her after all. "I'm sorry. Really. I won't do it again."

Alisha snorted and shook her head. "Save my life? Please, do it again."

Wolf's voice was in her head again. What's the worse that could happen? She drew a deep breath. "You know I'd do anything to see your pretty eyes close while you kiss me again."

"Oh yeah?" Alisha pressed a thigh tight against Val's so that her heated center rode high on Alisha's quad. "Good. Because I'd also like to discuss things other than my trip right now."

"Such as?" Val's voice practically croaked out. Yes! Yes! Her mind screamed. This was what she wanted. Forget all that other stuff.

"Such as what you want from me." Val swallowed hard. She'd had this all planned out, she was going to be the aggressor, the one pushing them forward. It had been a long time since she hadn't been the dominant member of her brief relationships. Make that relationship. She was pretty sure Alisha would not tolerate competition.

Alisha leaned in and the pressure of her body, crushing Val's aching breasts to her chest, combined with the feel of her fingers at the back of her neck sent shivers of delight coursing up and down her spine. "Do you know what you want from me?" Alisha asked.

All she could think about was how much she wanted to feel her. For weeks she'd been fantasizing about what it would be like together, but she'd treated it as a fantasy, one that would never come to reality. "I'm not sure." She brought one shaking hand up to caress Alisha's cheek. The skin was soft and firm and felt hot beneath her finger tips. She ran her index finger over the other woman's dark lips. "Kissing you, I want kissing you." She held Alisha's chin gently and plucked at her lips. "Beyond that, I am unsure. I don't usually do relationships."

"I am not asking for a relationship. But I know what I want. I'm asking for a chance. A chance to get to know you." Alisha slid her hands under Val's jacket and up her back. The cool air rushed in with the motion but she delighted in it anyhow because she loved the touch. It was hard not to simply close her eyes and purr.

"I would like that too, a chance to get to know you, nothing serious yet." They stood there, holding each other and grinning for a few more moments. Val breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wanna come get to know me while I eat real hot food, change out of this uniform, and take a shower?" Alisha stepped back, holding out one hand in invitation.

Val took her hand and offered her best cheeky smile. "First thing you should know about me then is that I am never content with just watching."

Her heart jumped for joy when Alisha squeezed her hand and replied. "Well, then you you should know that I'm never content just being spied on."


	23. Synergize 23 - Ain't Misbehavin'

This is the final chapter of Synergize. I hope you've enjoyed the new characters and story so far. I have quite a bit drafted for the next segment (which features a new romance, a prison break, and a few surprise appearances) but I'm not ready to roll that out quite yet. Thanks for reading and thanks for all the lovely comments and words of encouragement.

**Ain't Misbehavin', Billie Holliday**

Danny held the door while Kara led Debbie and Vince into the hotel dining room. "We're using this as a general mess area for everyone, civilians and military." Kara explained. "I already got you on the lists. We're not able to serve anything fancy but it's hot and there's clean water so there can be a line at certain times of day." Between the work that needed to be done to unpack the cars and the debriefings it was already 2100 so the room wasn't too crowded. Vince, you can use your CAC for ID. Mom, I got you an ID." She pulled one out of her pocket and handed it over as they waited for the enlisted woman at the podium to scan her own card.

Debbie held the card at arm's length so she could see it without her glasses. "It's a good picture of me."

"I used a picture from the bowling alley." Kara explained.

The woman scanned Vince's card and then looked up sharply at the grizzled man. "Welcome Commander Gurtowski! In case you don't know, we have a wardroom set up in the Raddison next door as well."

He squinted at her nametag as she handed the card back. "Thank you Carson but it's Mr. Gurtowski now, no titles. I gave that up when I retired. I'm just a contractor now."

"Very well. But I believe Commander Foster-Green can confirm that you would still be welcome in the wardroom."

"Foster-Green? Really Kara." Debbie handed her card to the greeter. "Is my grandchild going to be saddled with a ridiculous hyphen?"

That hadn't talked about it yet but he was relieved when Kara shook her head. "No, it just helps people not get the two of us mixed up. The baby will be just Green." She led them all to gather trays.

Vince hung back a little. "Do you want me to distract Debbie a little that you and your wife can have some privacy?"

Danny was touched by the gesture. "Of course not. I want you to get to know Kara more. She is pretty amazing."

Vince raised his brows. "I already know that! But I admit, I do want to get to know the woman that convinced you to break so many rules."

"What makes you think she convinced me and not the other way around?"

Vince's gray curls shook as he laughed. "You forget that I've known you since you were knee high to a grasshopper." They accepted bowls of fried rice and some kind of mystery meat from one of the kitchen staff and Kara led them to a table. Danny noticed that her gait had more sway than three weeks ago. He had a million things he wanted to ask her about her time her in St. Louis, the baby, and her plans. But that would have to wait.

Danny sat beside her and began arranging the items on his tray. As Kara leaned forward to set Halsey's dish on the floor, her free hand grabbed the edge of the table. He knew Vince was right, he had never been a rule breaker before, but he hardly cared what the rules were as he slipped his left hand over hers to help haul her back upright. The zing of recognition was instant and she paused her meal routine to bestow a bright smile on him. "Hey, glad you're home." She said low, half under her breath.

"Me too." He squeezed her hand before releasing her fingers and focusing on the meal. The sooner they finished and got Vince and Debbie squared away in their rooms, the sooner he could be alone with her.

"So I've got you two set up in rooms in the Hyatt. That's where most of the civilian employees at the Whitehouse and associated offices are staying.

Debbie paused, fork half way to her mouth. "Kara, I don't want to be taking away space from someone who has a legitimate job here for the government."

Kara set down her fork and Danny could see that she was gearing up for a serious discussion. "Well," her eyes flicked to his momentarily. "I do need to talk to you about that. Vince, you have a 10 AM meeting with Slattery tomorrow. He wants to discuss your interest in coming out of retirement. We've got some young recruits who could really benefit from your experience."

Vince sat back with a heavy sigh. "I suppose I knew it was coming from the second I agreed to take Debbie and Peter here. I knew both of them, Chandler and Slattery, before I retired, and I don't doubt that I have skills that could be useful, but I am not sure I want any kind of official assignments. I retired because I thought I was getting too old to do my job well and that feeling hasn't changed."

She took a sip of her drink before responding. "I understand that. Just please, take the meeting, and keep an open mind."

Vince turned toward Danny and gestured toward Kara's collar. "She wears them well!" To Kara he smiled. "I will. I do want to be of use, I'm just not up for the intense missions anymore."

Debbie snorted. "Could have fooled me. You just spent three weeks racing across the country with two old people in tow."

One corner of Vince's mouth quirked up. "Old people my ass. Kara, your mother was relentless. Every single time we met a roadblock she just pushed on, insisting you needed her."

Debbie ducked her head, a slight red blush staining her cheeks. "I am sorry honey. I know you have your own life and you don't need me, but I just felt strongly, so strongly in fact that I couldn't put it off, that you needed me."

"I do need you." Kara reached across the table and took her mother's hand. "And I think that Danny and his team needed you too. I am so grateful to you both for bringing him home." She reached across and squeezed Vince's hand too. "I've got a job in mind for you too mom, if you are willing." She returned to her dinner. "Danny and I need a house, a home really." He looked up from his rice, surprised. When he'd broached the subject before leaving for Chicago she had insisted that temporary quarters were fine. "There's nothing official yet, but Chandler and Michener are both planning to stay in St Louis for the time being so that's where I will be too. There's going to be a home and auto auction soon." She glanced shyly at Danny. "I know it would be fun to pick a home together, but I don't know how we'll have time. Will you help us?" her knuckles were nearly white on the fork.

"Of course honey. I would be happy to help you any way I can."

They finished the meal by talking about what they needed in a house. Kara wanted a small house with a fenced yard. Danny wanted a house with lots of bedrooms for visitors and future kids. "How many kids do you think we're having?" Kara giggled. "How about next time you spend months on the sidelines and I'll go out adventuring!" She poked him in the side.

"Well I can see that you two have plenty to talk about." Debbie gave Vince a meaningful glance. "It's been a long day. Let's find our quarters and hit the sack." Although Danny really did want to catch up with his friend and get to know Debbie, now that he was sitting here next to Kara, nothing sounded better than curling up in bed with his wife.

Half an hour later he finally shut the door to their apartment behind him. He'd taken Halsey outside for a few minutes while she'd come straight up. There was a sloshing sound from the bathroom. "That better be my husband because I warn you, I'm armed, and I don't take prisoners."

"You gonna shoot me pretty lady?" He grinned despite his exhaustion. He'd missed her humor more than he realized. "I thought you had something a little more fun in mind when you invited me in here."

"No, but I am going to wash you from head to toe before I let you in my bed. When was the last time you had a shower?"

He thought back "Uh, Tuesday? No Monday. It was in Bloomington so I guess Monday." He began stripping off his clothes, not even bothering to lay them over a chair or something. There was no way he was putting that uniform back on without washing it. "But the last time we were able to wash clothes was Toledo. So yeah, I'm feeling filthy."

Her laugh was pure joy. This was why he'd come home. "Oh you are, are you? Then you better get in here because while I might want to take advantage of that later, I also might pass out due to pure exhaustion."

The hotel had been remodeled sometime in the 80's and featured a funny triangular bathtub/hot tub instead of a shower. Kara was sitting in one corner of the triangle, her back to him. She had undone her working bun and instead piled her hair on top of her head in a loose pouf. Danny stepped over Halsey to enter the small bathroom and was hit with the scent of her soap. It always made him think of a tropical beach at night, floral and fruity but also dark and mysterious. "Am I going to smell like you tomorrow?" he asked as he shut the dog out. Halsey whined through the door.

"Oh shush you big baby." He heard the tag on the dog's collar hit the floor. Somehow the idea of her talking to his dog like it was hers always made him inordinately pleased.

Bubbles slipped over one pale shoulder as she glanced behind her with an impish grin. "You can shower in the morning. We are expected to report at 10 AM. You might be good and sweaty by then anyway."

"I don't think I've ever known you to take a bath before."

She lifted one pale leg and ran a bright purple wash cloth from her ankle to her knee. "I've been taking a lot of baths. Not really to feel clean, just to get off my feet." The sight of her slippery smooth skin made him hurry to throw off his remaining clothes. "I have a lot on my mind and it helps me relax and sleep better.

"Like how you knew we were coming in today?" She stopped dead still for a second.

"Like who other than you knew it too." The water rippled as she shivered. I've been over it a hundred times in my head. You, Michener, and Tex were the only ones that knew last night, right? How could we have been so wrong about him?"

He stepped in and found the water a little tepid but not uncomfortable. That would be good. Because after three weeks away, the cool water might help slow him down from jumping his pregnant wife in the first five minutes he had her alone. "Well, think about how we found him and some of the other things he's done since then. There is certainly room for suspicion."

He slid down into the water in the corner by her feet. "But enough of that for now. The President is safe for the time being and I'm home with you. Did you miss me?"

She sighed and closed her eyes, sinking a little deeper into the water as he lifted her feet onto his thighs. "Of course I did, although I had little time to dwell on it. I've been working…" He used his thumbs to stroke the balls of her feet. "..Oh my God that is wonderful."

"Well, just sit back and enjoy it." He did it again and was rewarded with a dreamy smile from her perfect raspberry lips. "So you worked a lot. Anything come up that I should know about?"

She wobbled her head back and forth on the rim of the tub. "Not really. Val and I haven't made any new progress on the traitor. Tomorrow Chandler is going to form a team of you and Alisha to come up with an offensive plan for dealing with the MCF. The ultimate goal being to get stocks of the precursor solution for the vaccine from the manufacturer in Albuquerque. Burk and I are going to work on rounding up some kind of Congress by June."

"Same old same old, huh? Anything less end-of-the-world-ish going on?"

"Michener asked me tonight to pick a neighborhood for federal executives. He's still set on moving the Whitehouse to St. Louis permanently. I think he doesn't want to face going back to his former home in Washington."

"Ah, that explains the house then." He'd been a bit taken aback when she started discussing it at dinner. No matter how much he told himself that making major life decisions together was one couples thing that they weren't going to be able to count on, it still hurt a little.

Gone were her soft and pliant limbs. "We don't have to move, if you want to stay here, we can. Well not exactly. Once Flutter is born we would have to move anyway. This area is designated as a barracks only. So, I want to move, before he or she is born. But we can stay a little longer." She rubbed her free foot up and down one of his thighs and he caught it in his hand lest she stir up more than she bargined for.

He kneaded the arches of her feet with his thumbs, half contemplating, half reveling in the feel of the soft skin of her instep. "We've never talked about the money stuff, but I have plenty. Well, I had plenty, assuming the banks still have the records. I have been working for 15 years and I've always shared apartments. And I've been traveling most of my time so right from the start I put a lot away in savings."

Kara sighed. "I have next to nothing. Pretty much all my savings got spent in moving my mom out to Norfolk. I'm sorry I don't have much to contribute." He could see that she meant it too. She'd spent her adult life as the responsible one, putting herself through school by joining the Navy. Then supporting her mother, rather than the other way around. "I suppose normal couples talk about all this before they get married." She pulled her feet back and began to sit up.

"One way or another, it will work out. I certainly didn't marry you for your money." He leaned forward with a slosh to catch her hand and she turned back toward him, captivating his attention as a little raft of bubbles slipped from her collarbone to the waterline just above her nipples. "Don't go yet."

"Oh, I'm not. I'm not done with you yet." She turned on the warm water and then settled back down into the water. The soap from the bubbles allowed her to slide along his skin and he was instantly rock hard but she sat across his thighs, maddeningly close but not quite touching. "You know I'm a practical woman. I don't really care if we have money or a big house. But I was getting cold."

It was a challenge to leave his arms outstretched along the fiberglass lip of the tub. He wanted nothing more than to close the gap between them and remind her why he'd really married her. "Oh, you have plans for me?" He played innocent, even though he knew she could feel the evidence of his arousal pressing against her.

"Mmhum." She was soaped up the washcloth to a thick lather and began to rub small circles over his chest. "You need a through inspection to make sure you are fit enough to keep up with me."

"Is that so?" she stopped soaping at the water line and began to work down one arm. As she leaned forward to reach his wrist the tips of her nipples grazed him and he heard her sharp intake of breath.

"Are they still bothering you?"

Kara leaned back on her haunches a little, reaching for the soap again. Her eyes twinkled. "No, not anymore." She sat up just enough that the foamy bubbles slid all the way off her and into the water and he feasted on the vision before him. Her breasts were still fairly small and firm, but they seemed rounder than ever and her nipples were much deeper in color against her pale skin. His mouth watered for her. "I believe you have made it home for the best part of pregnancy."

"Oh yeah, what's that?"

"The good side of crazy hormones." She shut off the water behind them and then began working on his other arm. But this time, when she reached his wrist she turned and captured his lips. Her mouth was hot and urgent. Her tongue swept into his mouth and he groaned at the contact. He couldn't keep his hands to himself any longer but wrapped them around the warm and soft skin of her back, pulling her against his arousal. God it was everything he'd been fantasizing about these last three weeks and more. She willingly spread her knees and scooted even closer so that he was all but inside her. Even though the tub was warm, her center felt even hotter.

She didn't even give him a chance to catch up, just canted her hips and took him deep inside her. The heat of her seared the length of him but it was the gasp of pleasure that escaped her lips that spurred him into action. He slouched down a little so she could lean forward, her hands on his shoulders while he slid his soapy hands down the smooth contours of her back to grasp each toned buttock. Somehow he had the presence of mind to look up and was rewarded with their reflection in the mirror on the back of the bathroom door. He watched her in amazement as she rose and fell over him. Slippery with soap, their bodies glided together smoothly. He could see her lashes flutter on her cheeks and at the same time the damp tendrils of loose hair swirling down the delicate curve of her back, his tan fingers dark against her milky skin. It was overwhelming but he couldn't tear his eyes away. Her muscles flexed under his fingers as she rode him. "I guess you missed me then?"

Her head was tipped back and when she laughed lightly, reaching for his hands and moving them to cover her breasts she answered. "I need this too much to talk about that now." God he had missed her, her voice, her scent, the feel of her skin, the way she challenged him. He slid a hand between them and cupped her slippery mound. He was not going to be able to hang on much longer. Need was coursing through him, causing him to lift his hips to meet hers with each shuddering thrust. Her breath was catching in her throat in a way that usually meant she was close so he slid one finger on each side of her swollen clit.

"Yes, yes I need that." She increased her pace, their bodies coming together so rapidly now that water was splashing about her hips. But he payed it no mind. This had to happen now. His focus narrowed. In the mirror, a rosy blush was stealing it's way down her shoulder blades. The same blush was making it's way over her neck and chest. Fascinated, he leaned in and took one rosy peak in his mouth. "I…am…so..glad..you're..here!" She gasped out as she ground her hips into his. He drew hard and knew the exact moment she flew apart. Whatever he had been about to say was mangled as she keened her approval. He felt the force of her completion and stopped holding back himself. With a few long thrusts he exploded in pleasure.

He wasn't sure if he closed his eyes or passed out but when he came aware he could feel the goosebumps all over her body and every few seconds, a soft pulse of her around his rapidly diminishing erection. She had fallen forward over him, her harsh breathing echoing in one ear. The hard round belly holding their child nestled between them. He was gliding his hands up and down her back but the water felt a little chill and he suddenly wanted to be in bed, holding her close and warm.

"Come on, lets get out of here." He helped her stand up, holding her hands so she wouldn't slip in the soapy tub.

She pulled down two seafoam green towels off the rack outside the shower curtain and handed one to him. "I hope you like the color. I got them at the market. Everything in the hotel was so impersonal and white."

He glanced around as he rubbed his skin dry and realized that she had personalized more than the towels. There was a scented candle on the counter, a decorative box of hairpins and elastics too.

Kara wrapped her towel around her slim body but when she lifted her arms to fix her hair the ends split open over the baby. Her body really had changed quite a bit while he was gone, but he liked her new softer profile.

She huffed and grabbed at the ends of the towel. "Here." He sat at the edge of the tub and drew her over. "You do your hair and I'll seize this chance to talk with my growing progeny.

He placed his lips against her warm and taut skin and she giggled lightly as she combed her hair and then swept it back into a bun high on her crown. "Thanks kiddo." He whispered, placing a kiss on the crown of her belly.

She set the comb in the edge of the sink with a click. "Did you get a head injury out there that you aren't telling me about? What are you thanking Flutter for?"

"The crazy hormones, of course!"

She laughed and tugged him to his feet. He could hardly feel them touch the floor. For however long he could be here with her, he would be glad to be home. They stepped out into the bedroom and for the first time he realized that there was a new purple and brown quilt on the bed and beyond that, some orange pillows on the couch. "You've been busy!"

"I just wanted something that felt like it was rooted. Something that made this room ours. But the stuff I bought, didn't even make a dent in the feeling of living in a borrowed space." Suddenly the idea of a house made perfect sense. Sure, they might not be in St. Louis forever, but when they were here, they could have a place of their own.

"If Michener already has a plan for auctioning houses and cars. Let's volunteer to be in the first group."

She turned down the quilt and let her towel drop to the floor. "Are you sure?"

He lifted her and sat down with her legs across his lap. "Yep, it's time for us to make a space for our family, don't you think?"

"Mhum. Yes, I do think so."


End file.
